The Power of a Voice
by Persona75
Summary: Arla Nadika is a 15 year old girl who was born without a voice, and that made life on Earth really difficult for her. She can't express how she feels and she couldn't make any friends. But when she found the Smash Bracelet, her entire life suddenly changed from an average dull life to one grand epic adventure.
1. Prologue Part 1

A/N: Just to clarify before I start. This is my first story so please don't hate it too much because I tried my best to make this interesting. This takes place in SSB Brawl after the Subspace Emissary. Not Ultimate because I don't want to keep track of so many characters, and I loved the Subspace Emissary since it got released. Hope you enjoy!

**The Power of a Voice**

**Prologue (Part 1):**

The World of Smash. A place where many people watch the exciting Super Smash Tournament. Where both heroes and villains from multiple worlds come from. Characters from the Mushroom Kingdom, Hyrule, Altea, the Lylat System, Mobius, Kanto, and many other worlds coming to join the battle. Currently a match between Mario, Samus, Marth, and Sonic was occuring at Final Destination. Sparks flew, and tensions were high.

Marth swung his sword upward toward Samus, but she dodged and countered with a shot from her plasma cannon. Marth smoothly went out of its line of fire but it hit Mario instead. Mario recovered quickly only to have barely miss Sonic's charged Spin Dash. Sonic got out of his signature move and swiftly ducked under Marth's sword swing and went toward Samus and roundhoused her. Samus was flown off the edge but made a close recovery as she grabbed onto the ledge.

The Smash Ball finally appeared and all four competitors went for the ball. But Sonic, being the Fastest Thing Alive, grabbed it and turned into Super Sonic, taking out the remaining three.

The winner is: SONIC!

"That's how it's done," Sonic said as he struck his victory pose. The Mario, Samus, and Marth were clapping. After that, they all exited the stage simulator where the stages are created. And they were greeted by a handful of Smashers.

"Good match Sonic," Mario said to his fellow rival.

"Thanks dude, that was one exciting match," Sonic replied, giving Mario a fist bump.

"I still think you had an unfair advantage to get that Smash Ball," Falco, who was in the room, stated bluntly.

"Come on really, Master Hand reduces my speed in battles."

"Even with that you're still able to outrun all of us."

"I believe we've all been reduced in some fashion in battles," Zelda said.

"How so?"

"Well, I know Ganondorf's magic has decreased slightly, DK's strength is also a bit weaker, and all the villains are being kept at closer watch than most of us, ever since the Subspace Emissary," Samus replied. After that conversation, everyone went on their way to do their own thing.

*Later at night*

All the Smashers were sound asleep, until an alarm sounded off. "INTRUDER ALERT IN THE SECRET VAULT, INTRUDER ALERT IN THE SECRET VAULT!" Everyone got up to find the infiltrator, but they didn't know where to start.

"The alarm said 'at the secret vault'? I didn't know we had one," Ike said.

"Neither did we," Ness said referring to the Original 12. Then, Master Hand showed up.

"Master Hand, what's going on?" Mario asked.

"There's no time to explain we have to get down to the vault, follow me," MH quickly explained.

"Fine, but we better get an explanation once we're done," Captain Falcon said as he and the rest of the Smashers followed behind MH.

When they arrived they saw a mysterious person holding a dark brown wooden chest with a golden rim around the keyhole. The person wore a black robe with a hood that draped over their face. The Smashers were all in their ready positions in case of a fight.

"Alright, give up the box and things won't get messy," Fox said with his gun aimed.

"Do you even know what it is I'm 'stealing'?" the mystery person asked slightly frustrated. Due to the sound of their voice, it sounded like a female.

"Nah lady, but either way you're trespassing," Pit replied.

"Gah! I don't have time for this." With that she created a portal and threw the chest into the portal.

"Now no one gets it." She threw a smoke bomb at the Smashers and made her escape through a different portal. Toon Link did the honors of blowing the rest of the smoke away with his boomerang. After seeing that the mystery person wasn't around, all heads turned to Master Hand for answers.

"Master Hand what did she steal?" Lucario asked sternly.

"And why did you not tell any of us about this?" Samus also asked annoyed that he didn't say anything, even to the Original 12.

"Very well, I'll tell you now. Honestly, I was about to tell you the next morning since it was finally completed. It was a creation I was working on called the Smash Bracelet."

"Smash Bracelet?" everyone asked.

"Yes, it was made to help anyone in a situation that requires a specific person. The Smash Bracelet has everyone's powers contained inside so when someone wears it you can get a fellow Smasher's powers. For example, we know Ike or Sonic doesn't have long range attacks, so if they need to attack something out of reach they can summon something like Pit's bow or Samus' pistol. Or if you need an assistance, you can call upon Pikmin or even Squirtle, Charizard, or Ivysaur," Master Hand explained.

"So basically it's an accessory with Kirby's powers," Wolf said. Kirby nodded with agreement.

"Well Kirby's copy abilities are slightly weaker. The bracelet's abilities are as strong as your own. And it also has the power to travel between all your worlds."

"Very well, thanks for the explanation, but how do we find it now?" Meta Knight asked.

"I don't know. She threw it into a world that isn't one of your own so the only way to track it is for someone in that world to activate it."

"Then let's hope it's someone we can trust," Lucario said.


	2. Prologue Part 2

**The Power of a Voice**

**Prologue (Part 2):**

Hi, I'm Arla Nadika, a 15 year-old teenager. I wish I can tell you about myself, but I literally can't because I was born without any voice. Also I don't even know what I like, everything was always chosen for me for as long as I can remember and I just went with the flow. All people do know about me is the usual facts. I live in Arizona with my parent and older sister Julia Nadika, and they expect me to become an engineer when I go to college because of my summer camp classes. I was coming back from summer camp which had same classes my parents…instructed… me to take for every entire summer vacation. AP chemistry, engineering 101, piano practice, gymnastics, archery, and martial art. I was the top of every class, for that's what I'm always expected to be.

The place for my summer camp wasn't that far from my home, so I always walked back, alone. I wish I had friends to walk back with, but I had none for 2 reasons. 1. I can't say hi to anyone or start up a friendly conversation without a voice, and 2. they all thought I was too good for them. I hear classmates whispering around me, wanting to approach me to maybe say hi or ask for help on stuff. But, they always say the same things in the end.

"I don't wanna. Can you do it? She always sends me that that glare when I call out her name."

"Let her be, she probably wants to focus on studying to stay the best."

"Are you sure we should bother her? She must be really busy at this point."

I wasn't trying to be intimidating, and I'm already confident with what I know, so at this point, studying is useless. Oh well, shame I can't just tell that to them myself.

Anyway, I was walking back until I saw something shine in a bush and picked it up. "**I never see a chest lying in a random place everyday"**, I thought. The chest looked like it was from a pirate movie, dark brown wood with a golden rim around an old keyhole. I tried to open it but it wouldn't budge, so I brought it back, but hid it in my backpack. If I showed my parents, they would bombard me with questions and it'll take DAYS to answer them all. And even if I did explain, they would toss it out regardless out of paranoia.

When I entered my house, it was quiet. That meant my parents must've went out somewhere because they always greet me when I got back. But who I did see was my sister Julia eating soup silently.

"Sup Arla, how did today go", Julia said. I gave her the regular thumbs up to say it was good, and by good, I mean same old same old.

"Heh same old lame old huh, don't you ever get tired of it", she asked. I shrugged my shoulders and left to my room without any other response. "**You have no idea"**,I thought. I decided not to tell her about the box yet since she will likely do the same thing my parents will do.

Once in my room I began to retry opening the chest. It took me a few hours but I was able to unlock the chest thanks to my lock-picking skills with a paperclip. Once I opened it, all i saw was a thick black metal bracelet and in the center of it was a silver symbol. The symbol was a circle with two line intersecting inside to split it into four parts but unevenly, and it intersected in the lower left of the circle.

I stared onto it for a few minutes. Suddenly it started floating and it wrapped around my left wrist. "**Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!"**, I screamed in thought. It was strange though. After I gained my composure, I stared at it again. "**It fits perfectly on me. Why do I feel like this was made for me?"**

I heard the garage open up. "**My parents must be home. But, how do I explain a bracelet that's officially stuck onto me?" **I decided to put on my black hoodie so they won't see. Then, Julia and I went outside to greet our parent.

"Hello you two we're back from the store!" my mom, Elisa Nadika, said happily as usual.

"Hi mom, dad," Julia greeted. I waved to say hello as well.

"We have a surprise for both of you." my dad, Rodin Nadika, said. Then, he pulled out a 3ds. I've heard of those a couple of times at school, and I've seen groups of kids constantly play on those during lunch break.

"No way! A 3ds?! Those are very popular in school nowadays." Julia exclaimed. I can tell she must've always wanted one.

"Now, we could only afford one so you better share, and we were only able to purchase one game. Sorry." my mom said.

"That's fine I'll just borrow some from some of my friends."

"**At least you have friends,"** I thought as I nodded to my mom's conditions.

"Okay here you go." Mom pulled out a game called "Super Smash Bros Brawl".

"**Must be a fighting type game from the title."** Then I saw the logo. It was the same symbol as on the bracelet. There was a connection. After that we came back in the house and Julia went straight in her room to play it.

"**Whoever created this bracelet must've been a huge fan of that ds game," **I thought as I stared back at the accessory. I entered my sister's room to find her already starting a match.

She chose a character named Meta Knight, and she was up against three other characters named Pit, Ice Climbers, and Pikachu. "**What odd characters." **She then chose a stage called "Skyworld" and began the battle.

"Hey Arla, do you know anything about this game?" Julia asked. I shook my head. Gaming was never my speciality.

While she was playing, Julia explained to me all the rules and the controls and moves each character has like the 'recovery' and the 'guard'. She know all the characters really well because she has always been a huge fan of this game. Huge fan?

"**No, she couldn't have made the bracelet because 1. she doesn't walk on the same route where I found the chest, and 2. she would've told me by now." **Julia and I always tell or show secrets to each other. To be honest, I consider Julia my only friend.

I was really fascinated after watching for a long time. After Julia won her match, I tapped on her shoulder and pointed at the ds to indicate that I wanted a turned.

"You want a crack at it," Julia asked. I nodded. "Here you go." She gave me the ds and I chose Lucario and the stage "Midair Stadium", and I was up against some people named Marth, Olimar, and Zelda. I remembered the moves she told me about and I fought strategically. Then some rainbow ball with the game's logo appeared and floated around the arena.

"A Smash Ball! Arla, break that thing now!" she exclaimed. I did exactly what she said. Once I broke it, Lucario was surrounded by a rainbow aura.

"Ok good! Now go to the edge of the arena and face the players. Then when I say go press B," Once I did, I waited for the G. "NOW!" I pressed it and Lucario unleashed a powerful blast knocking them off the stage.

"**Holy Crap! What was that?"** I thought as I stared at it with wide eyes.

"You know what that was," she asked. I shook my head. " That blast was Lucario's Final Smash called "Aura Storm". Each character has their own unique super attack. Like Mario's is called "Mario Finale", and Link's is "Triforce Slash". And look you won! Great job with your first gaming experience."

I stared back towards the screen to see Lucario's victory pose with Marth, Olimar, and Zelda clapping.

"Come on! You should've at least had fun with that." Julia pointed out. I realized I still didn't smile even after all that. I never learned to smile since most of my life was pretty dull and empty. Though on the inside, I was honestly excited for the first time. I gave Julia a fast nod to show her I did have fun despite me not showing it. "**Imagine if these characters were even real,"** I thought.

Then I remembered the bracelet I had under my jacket. "**I'll show it to Julia tomorrow. She might know how to take it off,"** I decided. What I didn't notice at all was the strange black-coated person watching me and Julia from the bedroom window.

"I found it," the person whispered, and she left without a trace.

What Arla didn't know was that she is about to get roped into an adventure that could change her life forever.

A/N:

**Bold Words = Arla's Thoughts (since she can't speak)**

Regular Words = Regular Dialogue

I know I change POV at the last line, but I didn't know how to make the cliché line fit.


	3. Chapter 1: A Meeting of Change

**The Power of a Voice**

"**A Meeting of Change"**

*In the Smash Mansion*

It was morning for the Smashers since they saw that mysterious person last night. Most of them were still wondering who it was that stole the Smash Bracelet. Others just shrugged it off until Master Hand finds it. Speaking of the hand, MH appeared all of a sudden during the Smashers' peaceful breakfast.

"I FOUND IT," he screamed. This startled all the Smashers.

"What was that for!" Lucas said still shaken by the sudden outburst.

"I located the Smash Bracelet, it's on Reality Earth in a place called Arizona."

"Reality Earth, you mean that one version of Earth where we are seen as video games?" Solid Snake asked.

"Exactly."

"No way am I going there," DeDeDe complained.

"Yeah, if we are popular there, we'll get harrassed endlessly," Falco said.

"Very well. Then instead of sending all of you, I'll only send a small group of four."

"And who might this team be?" asked Zelda.

"I'll choose the old fashion way." Then, a top hat appeared with everyone's name inside. Once the Smashers figured out how he was going to choose, many of them groaned in annoyance.

"You've got to be kidding me," Ganondorf commented.

"I kid you not," MH said as he pulled out four names from the hat.

"It's Fox, Mario, Sonic, and Lucario!" The four who were called looked at each other.

"Oh boy," Fox groaned.

"Mama mia," Mario also said with disappointment.

"Let's do it to it." Sonic said trying to lighten up the mood, but even he was slightly worried about what to expect.

"Here we go," Lucario stated motioning the other three to follow him to meet up with MH.

They arrived at his large office to find a machine of some sort in front.

"This is the machine you'll use to get to Earth." MH explained. "And you'll also need these." He gave the four of them blue and silver bracelets that had two buttons on it, and he gave Mario one extra.

"What are these for?" Fox asked.

"They're your ticket to get back. Once you find the person who has the Smash Bracelet, each of you need to activate both buttons to teleport back into the mansion."

"Then what's the extra one for?" asked Mario.

"That's for the wearer of the Smash Bracelet. Since it has been activated, it will be stuck onto the wearer."

"How will we know that we found it?"

"It has thick black metal with the symbol silver on it. You shouldn't miss it. Now, when I activate the machine, it'll transport you somewhere near the bracelet but it'll be up to you guys to find it. Good luck." MH pulled the switch and activated the machine pulling Mario, Fox, Sonic, and Lucario inside.

*Earth*

The chosen Smashers were free falling to the ground. Once they regained their composure, they controlled how they landed. Sonic did a couple of somersaults to slow down his fall and landed with ease. Fox used his illusion trick a couple of times to land quicker. Mario found a small tree and grabbed its branch, and after doing a couple of loops on it, he let go and landed. And Lucario did the same trick as Mario but on a different tree. Once landed, they took a look at their surroundings. Apparently they were near some sort of neighborhood and around a mountain region. After that, they went into an alleyway they saw so they can lay low.

"Ok where do we start?" Sonic asked.

"Well first things first, we're going to need some disguises. If we really are popular here, then we're going to draw A LOT of attention," Fox suggested.

They looked around again and realized they were near a high school that was currently out of session. Then Mario spotted a Lost & Found bucket in front of the front office door filled with items and clothes that were left by many student (just go with it).

"What about those?" Mario said as he pointed toward the bucket.

"That's good enough," Fox replied.

With that they all searched through the pile for some disguises. Mario wore a gray hoodie that was red on the inside. Sonic wore a blue hoodie as well as black jogging pants since him wearing no pants seems suspicious. Fox found a dark green jacket to wear. And Lucario wore a black jacket. He didn't need any pants because he believed his white fur already looks like trousers.

"Alright let's go." They all went a random direction hoping to find it. After a while, they started to get extremely hot and took a break in a tree's shade out of sight from cars people to take off their hoodies.

"My god! Why is it so hot out here?" Sonic complained.

"Well at least you don't have fur as an extra layer, I can feel my sweat all over my back," Fox replied.

While resting, Lucario sensed something with his aura.

"Wait someone's coming." After the other three heard that they quickly put on their hoodies again trying to look like they were just hanging out in the shade. They saw a girl walking alone with a backpack on, but what really got their attention was that on her left wrist was a thick black metal bracelet with the Smash logo in silver.

"That's the Smash Bracelet!" Mario exclaimed.

"But how do we get it?" Sonic asked.

"Ok I have an idea. Just follow my lead," Fox replied.

*Arla's POV*

Another day. Another dull round of sessions at summer camp. I already know everything that there was to know in all my classes. I knew every note of all the songs in piano by heart. I've practiced every combat technique in martial arts several times and won every sparring match. I was constantly on target with every fast moving shot in archery. This life has gotten too predictable.

I thought maybe if I wore my 'lucky' outfit and make my new bracelet more noticable, people might think I was more approachable. I wore my comfortable black turtleneck short-sleeved shirt, my flexible black shorts that go down all the way to my knees, my black fingerless gloves with silver dots around the rim, and my Vanguard mid top black shoes. Yes, my parents thought I liked the color black. I did get use to the color to make it my favorite. I even had my long straight hair flow down. But my method to make friends didn't work. I tried to tap on people's shoulders again to get their attention to say hi, but they shrugged it off and walked away from me as usual.

As I was walking I saw four people in the shade. They looked like they were resting in the shade so I let them be but something felt off.

"**Odd. Usually no one is on the same trail I take to get home,"** I thought suspiciously. While in my train of thought I heard faint and quiet footsteps like someone wanted to sneak up on me. I turned around to see no one there, but I did look back at the tree to see the four people that were under it gone. I turned back around to continue my trip home, but I was more on guard in case of an ambush.

I heard footsteps again, but I didn't look this time. "**Those guys under that tree are after me, I know it. The second they strike I'll be ready." **I thought, ready for a fight. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. "**Now!" **The second I felt it, I grabbed the hand on my shoulder and twisted it into and armlock. It was the guy with the dark green hoodie that was under the shade.

"Ow! Hey listen! I didn't come to fight, we just want to talk!" the guy said as he struggled to get out of my grip. "**Wait 'we'?"** Then the three other people that were under the shade with me came out of a nearby bush and went after me. I pushed the dark green jacket dude toward the other three and knocked them down. Then I pulled out my baseball bat sticking out of my backpack. My parents gave me it in case of situations like this. Luckily my martial arts and gymnastics paid off as well.

"**Who are they, and what do they want? Likely a usual petty robbery. Let's put my skills to the test!"** I thought determined. The guy with the gray jacket went after me next but I flipped out of the way quick and countered with hitting the bat at him. Then the guy with the blue hoodie came at me fast, extremely fast, I barely flanked out of the way in time. He rebounded and tried to hit me three more times, but I still dodged with the fourth attack I did the same thing, but I stuck my leg out to trip him, and it worked. Finally, the black hoodie dude came after me and tried to throw a punch, but I ducked and hit him in the side of the head with my bat. That accidently took off his hood and I saw his face, and I was VERY surprised.

"**You're Lucario! The one I battled with on that ds game I played on yesterday. I don't believe it!"** I thought surprised. Then I saw the other three close to getting back up. "**No. I can't be distracted now, They're still after me."** I thought and got back to a battle stance.

All four of them got up and the other hooded people saw 'Lucario' unveiled. They all looked at each other and silently decided to remove their hoods as well. I stared with wide eyes.

"**They're all Smashers!" **Even though I believe what I see, I still stayed in battle position in case it was a trick.

"Look kid. Yes, we're the Smash Brothers. And we didn't come to fight. We just want to talk. Can you do that?" Sonic asked in a truthful tone.

I hesitated at first. It's not everyday that video game characters are seen in real life. With a final decision, I firmly nodded to them.

"Thank you. First, introductions are in order. I'm Fox McCloud."

"The names Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog."

"I am Lucario."

"And I'm Mario."

I gave a small wave to all of them. "**How do I tell them my name?"** I thought looking conflicted.

"Aren't you going to tell us your name." Mario asked. I tried to tell them I couldn't speak by pointing at my throat.

"Can you not speak?" Fox then asked. I gave them a nod.

They all looked at each other not knowing what to say next. Then Lucario had an idea. He closed his eyes and a flaming blue aura surrounded his paw as the held it up towards me. The others looked like they knew what was going on, but I was confused.

"_Ok, I can hear your thoughts now. What's your name?" _Lucario said in my head. I slightly flinched but shrugged it off immediately.

"**I'm Arla. Arla Nadika. Look we shouldn't be out here too long others might see you. Put you hoods on and follow me back to my house."**

"_Very well." _Lucario stopped his paw from glowing and let it go down. Once the others saw this they knew he was done reading my thoughts.

"So?" Sonic asked.

"Her name is Arla Nadika. And she wants us to follow her back to her house so that we don't get spotted."

"Okie dokie Arla. Lead the way." Mario said. I gave a nod with a straight face. And I led them back to my home.

"She kind of reminds me of Shadow." Sonic whispered to Mario.

"Why?"

"Both barely talk much, and they both constantly keep a straight face no matter who they talk to."

"At least Shadow has a voice. She doesn't have one at all. Life must be hard with that problem," Fox whispered joining in the conversation.

Once we arrived at my house, I opened the front door. Luckily my parents weren't home again, so I didn't have to explain to them why I brought 'strangers' with me. I led them to my room and after everyone entered, they all took off their disguises and threw them on the floor. I looked at them in an awkward manner.

"What? It's hot outside. These disguises aren't as comfortable as they look," Sonic stated. I nodded in understanding. They're right. It is often very hot around here, especially in the summer.

"You want an explanation don't you?" Fox asked. I nodded again. "Well, we want to talk to you about that." He pointed at my new bracelet.

"That is called the Smash Bracelet. And we were assigned by Master Hand to retrieve it because if it falls in the wrong hands, it could mean bad news. It contains all of our powers and skills and the data inside is as powerful as our own. So whoever wears it can get our powers temporarily as long as they wear it. And it chose you so you can inherit our powers for some time," Lucario explained. I nodded in understanding. Then I began to tug on the bracelet as a way to ask how to take it off.

"How do you take it off?" Sonic asked. I nodded again. "Well Master Hand never told us how to, just our mission."

"Speaking of the mission, we were assigned to also take the one who wears the bracelet with us," Mario stated. I stared at them with wide eyes. I didn't think I would be going anywhere.

"Arla, I know this is sudden, but we need you to come with us. It's for your own safety. Someone is after that thing, so you're in danger. And we don't know how to take it off. You're going to have to make a decision. We will give you some time to think," Lucario said.

I looked down, trying to process everything. This was happening very quickly, and it was almost impossible to take everything in. If I don't go with them I could endanger my whole family. But there is the possibility that they could still be tricking me to kidnap me. No, if they did they would've tried to knock me out right now. But if I do go, I would have to leave my whole life behind. Then again, my life was so dull to begin with, so this could be a new experience for me. I felt excited for this. With a determined face, I raised my head to look at them and gave them a nod.

"Glad to see we're on the same page," Sonic said as he gave a smile.

"Hold on, you ain't going without this are you?" said a voice at the entrance of my bedroom door.

We all saw Julia leaning against the entrance holding out a katana with a diagonal strap so whoever wore it has the sword at the back and a black scabbard with a crimson rose on it with green leafy thorns.

"Who're you?" Mario asked. All four of them sweatdropped,for they thought their cover was blown.

"I'm Julia Nadika. Arla's older sister. Relax, I'm not going to report any of you Smashers to anyone. I promise." Everyone, including me, gave a sigh of relief. When Julia promises something, she never breaks that promise. "Arla, you were going to tell me about that bracelet right?" Julia asked. I nodded with a sincere look.

"Alright, but anyway, you should take this with you just in case."

She held out our father's katana, an heirloom passed down as our greatest defense for the Nadika family when one needed to fight most. I looked at Julia with gratitude in my eyes and equipped the sword.

"You don't seem at all surprised about us being here," Lucario said.

"Nah, because 1. I've always wanted to meet you guys in person, 2. almost everyone in school knows about you guys, and 3. I'm pretty sure Arla always wanted an adventure like this, so this is her chance of a lifetime to be free of her apathetic life. I'm proud of her for that," Julia said with a smirk. I looked down in embarrassment. Julia held the case that contained the ds chip inside. The title said "Super Smash Bros Brawl".

"Oh yeah. We're video games in this world," Sonic realized.

"Yep. Good luck guys. Don't worry Arla, I'll cover for you."

I waved goodbye one last time before leaving the house to the spot where the Smashers first landed.

"Ok Arla, you'll need this," Fox said as he gave me a different bracelet with two buttons on it. I looked at him with confusion. "That will teleport us back to the Smash World. Just press the two buttons and we'll all be on our way."

I put it on my right wrist and was ready to activate it. We all pressed the two buttons on our bracelets and disappeared without a trace. Hiding in the shadows, the mysterious person in the black robe saw everything and growled in annoyance.

"Just when I had her. Ugh! Change of plans. Looks like I'm gonna need backup." She disappeared into a portal planning her next attack on the Smashers.

A/N: Who is this mystery person, and what is she planning? How will Arla do in the Smash World?

Hope you enjoyed! Find out next time!

_Italics = others' thoughts_

P.S: I'd like to give thanks to TheAuraWolf for giving me inspiration for this chapter!


	4. Chapter 2: The Smash World

**The Power of the Voice**

**Chapter 2: The Smash World**

*The Smash Mansion*

In the mansion, many of the Smashers did their normal thing when not battling. Peach was having tea with Zelda. Link and Marth were polishing their swords. The kid Smashers were playing Mario Kart. And so on. It was peaceful until the room was filled with a bright light.

"What's that?" Lucas asked as the kids stopped playing to look.

"Who knows. Maybe it's the others that went to Earth," Link suggested.

He was right as they saw Sonic, Mario, Fox, Lucario, and a girl fly out of the portal. When they landed they all felt dizzy.

"Man… I didn't think… portal hopping… could be so...ugh…" Sonic struggled to say until he fell unconscious as well as the other four who also collapsed out of dizziness.

"Mama mia! Mario, guys, are you alright?" Luigi asked as he tried to wake up his brother.

"Oh my, I'll go get Master Hand," Peach said as she went to get him.

As the Smashers waited, all heads turned to the girl who was unconscious like the other four Smashers. They saw what was on her wrist.

"Is that the Smash Bracelet?" Ness asked while poking it.

"Looks like it. Apparently, she's the wielder," Link replied.

After a couple of minutes, Master Hand came in along with Peach.

"So they found it," Master Hand stated

"Yep it's on her, and they all collapsed when they came out of the portal," Peach said as she pointed to Arla.

"Traveling through dimensions can leave a side effect of dizziness sometimes. Take them to the infirmary to recover, including the girl. We'll talk to her when she wakes up. And make sure you all guard the infirmary inside and out in case that intruder comes back. Take shifts if you need to," MH commanded. The Smashers nodded and did just that. "Let's hope we can trust her," he muttered before entering his office.

*?*

"Sir, I know who has the artifact, but she is now in the Smashers' custody," said the mystery woman who took the Smash Bracelet in the first place.

"And you came back for backup I assume," the woman's boss stated, slightly annoyed that she didn't get what he wanted. The woman nodded.

"Very well, Akidan, but if you fail me again, you know what'll happen," the boss warned with a stern voice.

"It won't be a problem. I won't fail you," the woman, named Akidan, said with certainty.

*Smash Mansion, later in the evening*

Everyone was close to done with dinner and four Smashers guarded the infirmary, taking their shift. Marth and Ike guarded the entrance outside and Falco and Meta Knight guarded inside. It's been hours since the traveling Smashers came back and none of them have woken up yet.

"Man it's been hours since we put them in here. When will they wake up?" Falco asked slightly frustrated.

"Patience Falco, I'm sure they'll eventually wake up," said Meta Knight.

"Ugh, my head." The two guards inside heard a groan and saw Fox stirring up.

"Uh…" They heard more sounds as the other three Smashers woke up.

"What a nap," Mario said.

"About time you all woke up. You've been out for nine hours," Falco stated.

"NINE HOURS?!" the awaken Smashers said in unison, obviously surprised.

"That must have been some trip then," Sonic said dumbfounded.

Then they all heard movement, and they all looked at the final bed. There, the girl who was also knocked out woke up and gripped her head and realized where she was. She looked around then looked toward the six Smashers. She then touched her back and looked around again as if looking for something. Then she saw the sword on the table beside her and sighed in relief.

"Greetings, welcome to the Smash Mansion," Meta Knight said to her. She turned to the two in front of her and only nodded in response.

"Hey there. I'm Falco Lombardi, and that's Meta Knight," Falco said as he and Meta Knight waved at her. Then, Marth and Ike came in.

"Are they awake?" Marth asked and both swordsmen saw all five of them awake.

"And they are Marth and Ike," Meta Knight said as he pointed to both of them respectively. She once again nodded and the swordsmen returned the gesture.

"I'll fetch Master Hand," Ike volunteered and left.

"So what's your name?" Marth asked. This made the four Smashers look at each other with a worried look. And they turned back to the other Smashers.

"Her name is Arla Nadika, and she can't speak," Fox replied. Arla nodded and looked down with a saddened face.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

Then, Ike came back along with Master Hand.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you, I am Master Hand," MH greeted. Arla waved to return the greeting.

"Her name is Arla Nakida, but she can't speak," Lucario said.

"Oh dear, well that's a problem. Here use this." Master Hand summoned a small notebook and pencil and gave it to Arla. She wrote down any question she wanted to ask.

"**How do all exist?" **Arla wrote down.

"There are millions of parallel dimensions where we are seen as different things. There could be a dimension out there where we're all seen as chickens or one where we're all humans, maybe even one where we all switch roles with each other." The Smashers visibly shivered at those possibilities. "In your dimension, we are seen as video game characters, but in this dimension, we all exist," MH explained.

"**Why did you create the Smash Bracelet?"**

"I made it help the Smashers in certain situations if it requires a certain skill that a Smasher lacks."

"**How do I take it off?"**

"Perhaps, if I did this." MH used his magic on the bracelet, but after a few minutes of nothing happening, he stopped and stared at it surprised that it didn't work. Sonic, Mario, Fox, and Lucario looked slightly worried. "What? That was the right spell to take it off."

"**When I grabbed it, it began to float, emitting a strange light. Then it latched onto me. It feels as if it became one with my skin."**

"That wasn't supposed to happen. I don't know how to help you with that." All the Smashers in the room stared at the giant hand with wide eyes.

"I thought you said you completed it!" Mario exclaimed.

"I did, but it was the first one I made, side effects were bound to happen."

"So it's permanently stuck on her?" Lucario questioned.

"Unfortunately yes, but only until I find a way to reverse the process. Until then she will have to stay in the mansion with us and become a Smasher." Everyone looked at Arla to know if she's ok with this. She gave a nod in agreement, but they couldn't tell if it was out of joy or sadness because she still kept her straight face. Lucario secretly used his aura to figure out how she felt, but he couldn't find a single emotion. Her aura was blue so he knew she was a friend, but there wasn't any flame surrounding the aura. Depending on the size of the flame and its color shows what they feel and how deep they express that feeling. To find no flame concerned him.

"_No emotion at all. Why?" _Lucario thought confused.

"**What happens now?"** Arla asked.

"For now the five of you will rest here tonight, and tomorrow she'll be introduced to the rest," MH said. Falco, Meta Knight, Marth, Ike, and MH then left the other five to rest.

"While we're all here, can we get to know you more?" Mario asked. Arla nodded. Lucario decided to help her communicate by connecting everyone's thoughts together, so it was like a regular conversation in their heads.

"**I lived in Arizona since I was born, and I am to become an engineer when I grow up. So my parents always signed me up to summer camp classes every summer. It's the same classes I take in school as well. AP Chemistry, engineering 101, piano practice, gymnastics, archery, and martial arts."**

"_How were you during all of that," Fox asked._

"**I was at the top of every class."**

They looked at me somewhat impressed.

"_Dang girl, you must have been proud," Sonic said impressed._

"**Not really."**

"_Why? You must've been popular, and everyone could've seen you as their idol." _Lucario then sent Sonic a glare which confused the hedgehog.

"_What?"_

"**They all know about me, but that doesn't mean they appreciate me. Many thought I was too good for them while others thought I would rather focus more on my studies then make friends. They thought I would be scary and completely unapproachable."**

The Smashers looked at her with sympathy.

"_Who did they think they are making assumptions like that?" Fox said with anger._

"_Did you try to approach others?" Mario asked._

"**Yes, I tried to make a good impression, I tried to pass on notes to them as directly as possible, I tried to wave at them. But, they always turn me away and try to avoid me. So I came to accept my life of loneliness. Luckily, Julia was always there to comfort me when I needed it, but other than her, I had no one to turn to."**

They looked at each other with sad looks. Then they turned back to Arla with smiles. Arla was confused.

"_Then start over," Lucario said._

"**Huh?"**

"_Yeah, you already got four new friends right here. If you need help, we'll be there to help, including the rest of the Smashers," Sonic said happily._

"_Yes, we treat each other like a second family here."_

"_Don't hesitate to ask," Fox said._

"**Thank you," Arla said.** And for the first time in her life, she gave a sincere smile. The others returned the gesture.

"**Is it ok if you… um… you know… share…" Arla hesitated.**

"_You want us to share our stories?" Mario asked. Arla slowly nodded. "Of course. But why are you so shy to ask that?"_

"**That was my first time asking for what I wanted. Usually, things are chosen for me since I can't say what I like." She looked down with embarrassment.**

They all nodded in understanding, and they told her about their lives. After about an hour of talking, they all started to feel sleepy.

"(yawn) Well, we better get some sleep. Night guys," Fox said as he fell asleep as did the rest of the Smashers. Arla was still awake looking up at the ceiling.

"**My second chance. I can finally get my opportunity to be truly happy,"** Arla thought as she slowly drifted to sleep.


	5. Chapter 3: Becoming a Smasher

**The Power of a Voice**

**Chapter 3: Becoming a Smasher**

*Next morning, Arla's POV*

I woke up to feel the sun in my face. I looked at the clock in the room to see it was 8:00 a.m. I looked at the others to see them awake as well. I waved at them to say good morning.

"Good morning Arla," Lucario greeted.

Then, there was a knock at the door. Mario opened it up and was greeted by a literal angel.

"Hi guys. That must have been some trip. How are you all feeling?" the angel said.

"We feel much better. Thanks for asking," Mario replied. Then the angel turned his attention to me.

"Hi, I don't believe we've met. The names Pit. What's yours?" he said, excited to meet me.

"**I guess those other Smashers didn't tell the rest that I couldn't speak," **Arla thought referring to Meta Knight, Falco, Marth, and Ike.

"Her name is Arla. She's unable to talk," Lucario stated.

"Oh, ok. Anyway, breakfast is just about ready if you want a bite. This could be your chance to meet everyone," Pit said. I nodded in agreement, and after I grabbed my katana, I followed all the Smashers to the dining room.

When we arrived, I saw how ginormous it was. "**Woah, this place is HUGE." **I thought. Then I saw everyone else in the room. There were a lot of different creatures I saw. I saw a small mouse that had a tail the shape of a lightning bolt, a large turtle with spikes on its shell, an astronaut with tiny plant things surrounding him, and more. Many if them turned their heads toward us.

"Look who finally woke up. How are you guys?" said the guy in a green hat.

"We're fine now Link," Sonic replied as they went to get food. I followed their lead since I didn't know how things worked in the mansion.

"Who's the newcomer?" the gray wolf asked pointing at me.

"Master Hand will explain everything later. We don't want to keep repeating it," Fox answered, glaring at him. I can they didn't like each other that much. Once seated, we all began eating. Mario, Sonic, Fox, and Lucario explained who each person was so that I was somewhat familiar with all of them. After a while, Master Hand appeared. I was slightly startled by his appearance, but everyone else looked fine with it. This was probably a usual thing for them.

"Good morning everyone. As you can see we have someone new in the mansion. Her name is Arla Nadika. And she will be a new resident in the Smash Mansion," MH said. I stood up and waved at everyone to greet them.

"She could've said something sooner," Wolf commented.

"No she can't, she has no voice. She can't speak at all." Everyone then looked at me as I nodded to show what he said was true.

"Oh dear," Peach said softly.

"She have some trouble with communicating, especially during battles, so please try to bear with her. It will be all of your jobs to protect her, for she wears the Smash Bracelet. So that intruder that was here before will go after her, and I'm currently trying to find a way to help her remove the bracelet because it's permanently stuck on her until I do so. That's all I have to say." Master Hand finished.

Once he finished, everyone went back to eating their breakfast. All I had for breakfast was a cup of coffee since that was the only thing I usually have for breakfast everyday. As I drank my coffee, I began to think.

"**I hope I don't become a burden to everyone. Good thing I already know how to defend myself."**

"_Do not worry, you are not a burden to anyone. Master Hand is just being cautious that's all," _Lucario said, using his aura. I got used to it at this point.

"**I hope you're right. I want to prove that I can be friend."**

"_What do you mean by that?"_

"**You all became my friends and I feel more thankful than ever before. I just want show everyone in return that I am a friend to them as well."**

"_That's appreciated, but you don't owe us anything. We're friends with you because we want to be friend with you." _I gave a nod for understanding. "_Still keeping the straight face?"_

"**It's a habit. Sorry about that."**

After eating, I decided to walk by myself to familiarize myself with this place. It was so big, anyone new can get lost easily. Suddenly, Master Hand appeared in front of me.

"There you are. Can you please follow me to my office? I need to register you as an official Smasher." I nodded as I followed him. "**That's right. I wasn't officially confirmed yet."** When I entered the office I saw stacks of paper all over the place.

"My apologies for the mess. It's difficult to run a tournament with 35 Smashers," MH said. Once again, I nodded in response.

"**What's this about registration?"** I wrote down on the same notebook MH gave me before.

"While everyone knows that you're a Smasher now, you'll have to be registered into the database like everyone else so you can enter the battles." Then a screen appeared in front of me.

Name:

Category:

I entered my name down, but I didn't understand what it meant by 'Category'. I turned my head toward MH for answers.

"The Category is for what world you'll be apart of and what fighting style you will give. For example, if you choose Fire Emblem, you will fight with a sword. Or if you choose Metroid, you're likely to fight with a pistol or gun."

I looked at the options, but my world wasn't on the list. "**I guess since my world doesn't usually fight the way the Smashers do, it's not on here. That or it wasn't recommended," **I thought. After looking at the options, I couldn't decide. None of their fighting style felt comfortable for me. I wanted to fight like myself, not as someone else. I decided to right my answer down.

"**None of them." **I wrote down.

"None? What do you mean by that?" MH questioned.

"**I mean I don't want to choose any of the fighting styles from any of these worlds. I saw all of their descriptions, and none of them felt similar to my fighting style. I've taken martial arts for years as well as won all my sparring and competition matches. I even did private sword lessons with my dad and sister. I want to put my own skills to the test. Please."** I wrote down, determined on my answer. Man, that was a lot to write.

MH thought for a while on my request. After a couple of minutes, he decided.

"Ok, you can be your own character, but only if you can prove that you match the same level of skill as the other. I will give you extra weapons and armour if needed, but that is all. The rest is up to you on how you will battle. If you are not up to the standards, you will have to choose a category." I nodded as I agreed with these terms. After all, I've always had to meet up to people's expectations throughout my entire life. This was almost my best speciality.

"**How do I prove myself?"**

"You will be up against characters of my choosing, each with a different attribute they are best at such one with speed or one with strength, one with a sword or one with long-range attacks, and so on and so forth. If you defeat most of them, you won't have to choose a category. It'll be a random stage every time to see how you can adapt. 1v1, one stock each, and no items." I nodded, and I started looking through the weapons and armour to see what else I can use.

"While you do that I will tell the others about our deal," MH said as he left to make his announcement.

*3rd Person POV*

Meanwhile, the other Smashers were talking to the Smashers that traveled to Earth.

"So how was it on Reality Earth?" Ike asked.

"It was actually fine. We were teleported to a very quiet place near a school. Luckily it looked like it was out of session during that time," Mario explained.

"But it was extremely hot out there. I don't get how Arla can live through that heat. It felt like a hundred degrees outside," Sonic complained.

"According to my research, it was approximately 102 degrees outside. You were in one of the hottest regions of Arizona during the time," R.O.B explained.

"Aren't we lucky," Fox said sarcastically.

"How did you all meet Arla?" Zelda asked.

"Well Fox wanted to quietly walk up to her so she wouldn't draw attention. We didn't know she couldn't speak at the time. But once we approached her, she got the drop on us and unexpectedly… beat us up a bit with her baseball bat," Sonic explained rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"She must be one hell of a fighter then, especially in her condition since she can't call for help," Snake stated.

"We were going easy on her. We didn't intend to harm her severely, just immobilize her long enough to hear us out," Lucario replied.

"Well at least we know she can defend herself," MH said as he entered the room.

"How's her registration coming along?" Ness asked.

"Fine. She's currently equipping herself with better gear. Though she hasn't registered yet because she still needs to pick a category."

"Which world did she pick?" Falcon asked. Everyone was eager to have Arla join their world group.

"That's the reason why it's taking her so long. She chose none of them." The Smashers looked at the hand in confusion.

"Why did she not choose?" Toon Link questioned.

"She believes she can fight her own way, so we made a deal. I'm giving her the chance to be her own character if she can prove that she can hold her own against most of you."

"What do mean by 'most'?" Bowser said.

"There will be a list this evening of five rounds of who Arla will verse. Each person with an attribute that makes them unique such as a match with a swordsman or a match with a sharp shooter. Tomorrow she will fight. If she defeats you, she has proven herself."

*Arla's POV, Later that night*

It took a while to choose, but I kept my katana at my back and decided to equip myself with a grapple bracelet on my right wrist as well as a pair of metal fans as my shields and long-range attacks. I thought I should gear up with light weapons since my agility could give me the edge. I now had a new outfit that was still all black. I wore a sweater with a hood as well as long loose pants. I kept my mid top black shoes and fingerless gloves though. Once with my new outfit I went to the dining room for some dinner. When I entered, some of the Smashers waved at me and I waved back. I decided to sit at the girls' table.

"So you decided to fight your own way?" Samus said as he also greeted me. I nodded.

"Kind of plain in your sense of fashion, why is that?" Peach asked. I wrote my response down in my notebook.

"**My parents usually picked out my clothes for me and I just went with the flow. Eventually I started to like the color black, so sorry if I'm not much of a fashionista," **I responded.

"Did you choose anything by yourself?" Zelda asked. I shook my head.

"That must be terrible if you're forced to live a certain life," Samus commented.

"**Surprisingly, it wasn't. I didn't feel any pain from it, but at the same time I didn't enjoy it. I just decided to accept it, as long as it didn't hurt me." **They looked at me with sympathy, then Peach had an idea.

"I got it! Arla we're going to give you the time of your life! Some of us Smashers were planning on going to Smashville to hang out tomorrow. Perhaps you can join us," Peach said excitedly.

"**But I have some matches tomorrow to prove my place. Who knows how long they'll take."**

"Then we'll postpone for the following day. Don't worry I'm sure they'll understand." That made me panic. I didn't mean for them to change because of me.

"**No! No! No! It's fine. You don't have to do that. I didn't mean for you to change!" **I wrote, looking down with guilt.

"But honestly, I insist. No need to be so stiff. As a friend, I want to make sure you have fun, right ladies?" Her head turned to Zelda and Samus, and the smiled in agreement. "We're not going to have another Melee Samus in here." That was when Samus glared at her.

"Seriously Peach?" Samus said.

"Yes, seriously. It took a lot for me to break open that isolated shell of yours, and Arla is going to be just as hard," Peach said happily. After finishing the conversation, I waved goodbye to them and went to my room. But before I left the cafeteria I saw a list of battles for tomorrow. They were all of my battles.

_**Arla vs. Link**_

_**Arla vs. Donkey Kong**_

_**Arla vs. Fox**_

_**Arla vs. Pikachu**_

_**Arla vs. Captain Falcon**_

"**Link mainly uses a sword. Donkey Kong fights with his strength. Fox is a quick sharp-shooter. Pikachu was probably chosen for an elemental factor. And Falcon uses his power, charged by his moves," **I thought, looking at the list. "**But they're also all part of the Original 12, so I'll be up against the most experienced fighters."**

I went my room that Master Hand set up for me while I was choosing weapons. I laid on my bed, pondering about how I will handle five of the Original 12 tomorrow. Eventually, I fell asleep unaware of the person stalking me at my window.

"Tomorrow we strike. Is everyone in position?" Akidan said to the Primid beside her. It nodded. "Good. I told him I will not fail, and that's what I will do." The Primid then disappeared into Shadow Bugs and Akidan escaped through another portal.

A/N: I'm sorry if this wasn't exciting. I didn't want to make the chapter too long, but I promise some battle scenes will be in the next chapter. Just to warn you in advance, I'm not the best when creating narrative battle scenes. This was basically Arla getting to know everyone. I just love the friendships that Arla is making with the Smashers.

Next chapter, Arla will be fighting her first matches. Will she succeed? And what is Akidan up to? Find out next time!


	6. Chapter 4: It's Time For a Battle

**The Power of a Voice**

**Chapter 4: It's Time to Battle**

*Asleep, Arla's POV*

I was somewhere in a black void. The only thing I could see was the shining white floor I was standing on, but it didn't look like there was a wall for miles. I looked at myself. I wasn't wearing my combat outfit. Instead I wore the outfit I had before I entered the Smash World. I looked around again only to see someone with a similar outfit as mine, but it had scratches and bruises on it. I walked towards them.

"Hey who are you," I said, then I paused and put a hand on my throat. I WAS SPEAKING. Then the person in front of me turned around and I saw their face, They looked exactly like me. I was surprised.

"This is what you wanted right, some way to talk to everyone," the copy said to me with a calm voice.

"Yes but I-"

"Then it's yours, but for a price."

"Of course there's one," I said sarcastically

"Give me the Smash Bracelet."

"Wait, are you the one who intruded the Smash Mansion?"

"Would you really do that?" she questioned. She was probably implying that we are the same. Nonetheless, I shook my head. Immediately, she went back to the previous topic.

"Will you give me the Smash Bracelet?"

"Sorry, but even if I did say yes, I can't. And since you're me, you should know why."

"Then join me. Leave them and become one with me, you will be able to get the life you've always wanted." I hesitated. If I went with her, I could finally get what I yearned for. But, that would mean leaving my new friends behind. Finally, I made a decision.

"I'm sorry but I'll decline. I just made new friends. And like I said before, I want to prove that I am a friend to them as well. If that means ditching the only chance of finally getting a voice permanently, then so be it."

"Do you really think those Smashers are really your friends. They only need you because you have the Smash Bracelet. Once that hand figures out how to take it off, they won't need you anymore. You'll go back to your world and be all alone again. Those Smashers will easily forget about you like a bad habit." Though that made feel conflicted, I still refused.

"Your loss," the copy said with an angry tone. With that she summoned a golden blade out of dark purple smoke. She disappeared before my eyes and reappeared a foot in front of me. I was too shocked to react in time as she grabbed my throat, and with one quick slash she swung the blade down and everything went dark.

*Next morning*

I shot my eyes immediately open and sat up on my bed. "**What the hell was that?"** I thought panting with fright. I tried to talk again, but nothing came out. "**Of course that was a dream, but who was that? It couldn't have been me."** My thoughts were interrupted as I heard a knock on the door. I opened it to see two twins with matching parkas, but one was blue and the other was pink.

"Are you ready to smash?!" The blue one said excitedly. The pink one elbowed him for his immature behavior. I waved to greet them.

"Excuse my brother for his outburst. Anyways, Master Hand asked us to come fetch you since your first match is about to start. Everyone's waiting for you," the pink one said. I looked at the clock to see it was 8:40 a.m. My first match starts in 20 minutes. I bowed as a sign of thanks. I grabbed my weapons and followed them to the stage simulator.

"By the way, I'm Nana, and this is my brother Popo. Together we're the Ice Climbers," Nana said as they both did their signature poses. I gave them a thumbs up in response as we continued to walk.

"She creeps me out with that face. She doesn't show any emotion at all," Popo said. Unaware that I overheard.

"Popo! Don't be rude!" Nana exclaimed annoyed with her brother's attitude.

I looked down in sadness. "**I'm even getting those comments here. I'm not trying to be scary."** The Ice Climbers noticed me deep in thought.

"Don't listen to him, he usually doesn't mean it. Right Popo?" Nana shot a glare towards Popo and he nodded quickly, giving a nervous smile. I returned his gesture but slower and walked ahead. When we arrived, all the Smashers waited for me there. I went to the transporter standing right next to my first opponent, Link.

"Good luck," he stated as he held his hand out, and I shook it in return. We both stood in the transporter and it activated. We found ourselves on Battleship Halberd.

The battle was on. He took out his sword, I grabbed my katana, and we instantly clashed blades several times. We countered each other, clash by clash. Then Link moved out of the way and I quickly jumped back to see what he will do next. He then threw his boomerang toward me and I flipped back to dodge it. He quickly switched to his bow and fired multiple shot. I reacted and use my fan to deflect them as I ran to get to Link.

Once I reached him, I slashed multiple times across his body. He flew upward, and I used my grapple to grab him and hit him again with my metal fans. Link got back up and tried to hit me with his shield. I moved out of the way and slashed at him again, but he activated his guard in time. He reacted with a boomerang that hit me in the gut. I got up quickly to slash him again but he moved and knocked me off the ledge. I regained control again as I used my grapple to get back on the platform again.

I saw the Halberd ready for lift off and I tried to go onto the higher platforms. Link did the same. We then clashed swords again, but then I decided to take out his feet from right under him. It worked and I threw each of my fans at him multiple times until he was at the edge. I ran to him as fast as I could, and with one final swing, I flung him off the platform into the blast zone.

"Well done Arla. Didn't know you had such fine skill with the sword," Link congratulated as we exited the stage. I wrote down my reply.

"**I had private sword lessons with my dad since I was 6."**

"Well, you certainly proved it." Link then sat in the audience, and I waited for my next opponent which was Donkey Kong.

"Ook Ook Ook! (Good luck out there!)" DK said as he pumped his fist on his chest twice and gave a thumbs up. I assumed he said something similar to what Link said, so I just returned the gesture. Once we were transported we arrived at the Battlefield stage.

We ran toward each other. Then DK stopped and banged his hands on the ground. That flung me toward the ledge immediately, but I used my katana to swing myself back up and far enough to hit DK. Then I used my grapple to grab him and was able to toss him off the stage, but he recovered and hit me with a hard punch. I used my sword again to hold onto the ground so I don't go to near the ledge.

I got up and tried to think of a new strategy. This time I waited, and he came at me. Instead of attacking head on, I dodged him with every attack he threw as well as constantly activating my guard. I maneuvered between the smaller platforms, using my grapple for quicker escapes. I also used my fans to hit him lightly at times to try and intimidate him, and it worked.

He then began to look tired. That was my chance to take the offensive. I slashed him with my sword multiple times with a couple of kicks and punches of my own. With enough attacks, I hit him off the platform and out of the boundary.

As DK and I exited the stage, DK congratulated me as well by patting me hard on the back. I gave him a thumbs up in response. Next up was Fox.

"Hey Arla, you ready to do this?" he said. I nodded, prepared to fight. This time we were transported to Midair Stadium.

Fox made the first move. He pulled out his gun and rapidly shot as me. I deflected them all with my fans. After he stopped, I rush toward him, sword in hand. But he used his illusion trick to hit me, and I was briefly in the air. He then charged up his fire move and aimed right at me. Luckily I activated my guard before he struck. I stood back up and threw my metal fans at him only for him to use his reflector to block it.

That gave me an idea. Once I caught my fans I saw him ready to shoot at me again. I spun as fast as I could when he started his rapid fire. His shots were being deflected by my fans in random directions. Some bounced back toward him and damaged him. Then, he stopped firing, and I raced toward him. When I saw him about to use his illusion trick again, I guarded at the last second. I then used my grapple to grab him after he reappeared from that move and slashed him upward beyond the ledge until he went to the blast zone. Once he disappeared, I used my grapple again to grab the ledge. The plan worked.

Once we exited, I held up my hand to give Fox a hive five for a great match, and he greatly obliged. Next up was Pikachu as I saw a yellow mouse come up.

"Pika Pi!" he said with a determined smile as sparks were generated on his cheeks. I can tell he was excited to challenge me. This time the stage was the Pokemon Stadium.

I rushed at Pikachu to attack first only to miss as moved swiftly out of the way. He then counter-attacked with a thunderbolt straight towards me. I would feel like barbeque if I didn't cartwheel out of the way in time. Another one came at me, so I tried to used the same tactic that I used with Fox and deflect it with my fans. Turns out my fans weren't strong enough, and I was launched close to the edge.

I stood up again and tried to use my grapple, but Pikachu was too small and fast for me to grab. He hopped quickly from from left to right, confusing me on where he would attack next. I closed my eyes to listen carefully to his soft footsteps. Once I knew where he pounced at, I moved out of his way quickly and slashed him with my katana twice. I noticed how my blade caught some of his electricity in the process.

I thought of a new plan. If my fans couldn't deflect his attacks, maybe my sword will. I firmly held my sword ready for my next attack. As predicted, Pikachu conjured up another thunderbolt and shot it at me. Holding the sword like a baseball bat, I caught the bolt with my sword and, with most of my strength, swung it back to Pikachu.

It was powerful enough to make him go over the edge, but he used his recovery move. As I saw him go for the ledge, I threw both my fans at him so he wouldn't reach it, and he fell into the abyss.

In the stage simulator lobby, I saw Pikachu slightly disappointed by his loss. So, I went over to his to pet him on the head to show him that he did give me a challenge. With that comfort, he smiled and went off to watch the final match with me against Captain Falcon. He looked at me with a bit of concern and he noticed me with some bruises.

"Hey, if you want you can take a break, and I'll fight you when you're fully recharged," he suggested. But I shook my head to indicate I'm fine. I only have one match left. I might as well get it over with.

"Suit yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you," he replied. We both were transported to the final stage, Final Destination.

Falcon rushed toward me quicker than I thought. His leg was charged in flame and kicked me high in the sky. He jumped up and kicked me again hard toward the ground. I got back up again before he threw another kick.

He approached me again, this time with flaming fists. I held my sword up to block the attacks, however, I noticed how my blade was glowing a faint purple. I shrugged it off though since I thought I was seeing things out of exhaustion. Falcon was right, I should've rested. Then one of his punches knocked my sword out of my hand and behind me. Running out of options, I used my grapple to grab onto a random part of the platform and moved away from Falcon to catch my breath.

"I told you, you should've taken a break. Don't think I'll go easy on you," Falcon said as he was about to deliver another punch. Then, I used my grapple to grab my sword by the handle and launched it toward him. Unfortunately, he put his arms up in an X shape in time, and he slid a minuscule distance away from me. I gripped my sword again, but I didn't see Falcon sliding under me to knock me off my feet, just like I did with Link.

I was now on the ground, but I was too exhausted to get up this time. I saw his fist raised glowing brighter than before, ready to come down. I realized it was his famous Falcon Punch that some of the Smashers talked about. With nothing left to do, the only way to defend myself was raising my sword in front of me.

"FALCON PUNCH!"

With that his fist came down on me, and dust shrouded the stadium. All the Smashers watching were on edge to know what happened. I thought I was knocked out to the blast zone. But when the smoke cleared, I saw that I only slid across the ground a couple of feet away from Falcon. We both looked at each other with surprised and confused looks of this outcome. I got back up and looked at my sword. It was pulsing that purple glow from before. I'm glad it wasn't a hallucination.

Shrugging off the effect, Falcon rushed toward me to throw another powerful punch, hoping to knock me out of the stadium this time. With all the strength I had left, I swung my sword to counter his punch. What happened next was unexpected. My katana released a purple sword beam in Falcon's direction, and it pulsated throughout the stage, knocking Falcon out of the stadium with one blow. Everyone, including me, never thought I could conjure up an attack like that.

The winner is: ARLA!

Once Falcon and I left the stadium, Falcon collapsed on his knees breathing deeply. Everyone was silent, wondering how he'll reacted. Then, he stood up and faced me with a calm look on his face. I started to shiver, fearing that he would be mad at me. Instead, he started to smile.

"That was AWESOME!" He exclaimed, astonished by the final trick I pulled. I let out a huge sigh of relief, as did everyone else. "Where did you learn that? It felt as powerful as a Final Smash!" I wrote down in my notebook.

"**I don't know. My parents never told me it can do that. They never told me any of its secrets."**

"Well, you learned one now. Good job," Falcon said giving me a pat on the back.

"**Thanks,"** I replied. Then Master Hand entered.

"Well a deal's a deal. Congratulations! You earned a spot on the Smash Roster as your own character," Master Hand said. I gave another genuine smile in return. I looked at the clock to see it was only noon. I finished those battles quicker than I thought.

"I just realized. There's still time to hangout in Smashville with everyone if we hurry. Let's go!" Peach exclaimed as she grabbed my wrist and raced out through the main entrance with me tagging along.

*Smashville, 3rd Person POV*

Apparently everyone wanted to hangout in Smashville for today since all brawls were cancelled to fit all my battles in. But when they arrived, they saw a thick layer of fog in the area. It sounded far too quiet, and from everyone's faces, they thought the same thing.

"Odd, usually it's never quiet in Smashville during the day," Meta Knight stated.

"Lucario, can you find anyone?" Mario suggested. Lucario used his aura to find any citizen around.

"Strange, I found only one life sign. But their aura is red up ahead, and they're coming towards us," Lucario responded. At this fact, everyone readied their weapons and fists for a fight. After a minute, they saw a black figure through the fog, and as it came closer the Smashers knew who it was.

"You're that intruder from before," Pit pointed out. The black one responded.

"Yes I suppose I was the 'intruder'. I don't think I officially introduced myself. Where are my manners? The name's Akidan," Akidan said with a confident tone though her hood was still on. "And look, you brought me exactly what I wanted." She pointed towards Arla as Arla stepped back a bit. Some of the Smashers stepped in front of her for her safety.

"Enough with your games, Akidan. What have you done with the residents of Smashville?" Samus asked with her cannon aimed straight at the cloaked woman.

"Who? Oh, you mean my new life-sized figurine collection?" Akidan said with a smirk. Then she casted a small gust of wind behind her revealing the rest of Smashville as well as its citizens. The Smashers reacted with wide eyes. Even the Smash villains were surprised. All the citizens of Smashville were turned to stone, posing as if trying to run away or trying to shield themselves from something.

"What have you done?!" Luigi questioned in fear.

"This is basically leverage. Give me the Smash Bracelet, or everyone you see here will remain frozen forever," she demanded. The Smashers looked at each other, not knowing what their next move is. Akidan doesn't know that the bracelet was stuck onto Arla, so the Smashers were given the element of surprise. But they didn't know how to use that to their advantage yet. But that advantage was lost when someone opened their big mouth.

"Haha! Jokes on you. We can't give it to you since it's stuck on Arla. You can never get the Smash Bracelet now," Popo said with a confident smile. But that confidence faded when he looked at the Smashers' reactions. Half of them rolled their eyes, while the other half facepalmed for his stupidity, and Arla sent a glare towards him. "What?" Popo asked.

"We had the element of surprise," Nana said as she facepalmed.

"Oh. My bad," Popo said rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment with an awkward smile.

"Can't be removed huh? Then we'll just have to take the girl," Akidan said pointing at Arla again. Arla got out her sword, ready to fight.

"Oh yeah, you and what army?" Pit said. Big mistake dude.

"How about the Subspace Army?" she replied as Shadow Bugs surrounded her and formed up into fake copies of every Smasher, except Arla, with glowing golden eyes and a dark purple aura shown.

"Does anyone here not know when to shut up?" Falco said annoyed by Popo and Pit's stupidity. Both of them let out a nervous laugh in response.

"Attack! Kill her, and bring me her corpse if you have to!" Akidan shouted as the Subspace Army charged forward, with the Smashers doing the same.

A/N: I'm sure some of you already guessed that it was the Subspace Army. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the story. Next time, it'll be a game of Capture the Flag for the Smashers, with Arla being the flag. Will the Smashers be able to protect her, or will the Subspace Army snatch her up? Find out next time!


	7. Chapter 5: Capture the Flag

**The Power of a Voice**

**Chapter 5: Capture the Flag**

*3rd Person POV*

The Smashers fought against their Subspace counterparts, swords clashing, shots colliding, and fists attacking. Lucario then turned his attention to Arla.

"_Lay low as much as you can. We can't have them getting to the Smash Bracelet,"_ he said through his telepathy. Arla nodded and hid, but she stayed close enough to the battle in case she needed to jump in.

Mario and Luigi threw fireballs with ferocity and flare. Sonic ran faster than the naked eye attacking unseen. Ganondorf shot dark magic which knocked back the copies surrounding him. Wolf used his claws to swipe at the enemies. Pit and Meta Knight flew to the skies to take down their copies as well as attack from above and down onto the clones on the ground. Zelda shot out Din's Fire and destroyed another group of copies. Lucas and Ness worked together and combined their PK moves to create stronger attacks. Snake, Fox, Falco, and Samus were on different ledges firing down at more clones.

When most of the Subspace Army's copies were destroyed, they turned into Shadow Bugs and scattered. Everyone thought they were gone, until another wave of Shadow Bugs appeared and turned into both Smasher clones and Primids. As long as Shadow Bugs were around, the Subspace Army continued to replenish its ranks.

After fighting wave after wave, the Smashers started to become exhausted. DeDeDe's hammer swings were slowing down. Red's Pokemon were getting tired, so he had them retract back into their Pokemon Balls. Link kept having to use his shield more to block the oncoming attacks. Arla was able to jump in a couple times to assist, but she had to retreat immediately afterwards to not get caught. Everyone was in a pickle at this point.

"These things just don't quit," Wario said as he knocked down two more Primids.

"At this rate we'll be overrun," Ness added, using PK Thunder.

"We have to end this quick somehow," Toon Link said slashing more counterparts.

"We're going to have to call upon our Final Smashes. Let's do it," Marth said. Everyone nodded and began to summon their Smash Balls, but Akidan had other plans.

"Oh no you don't. That would be cheating," she said. She took out a small device. Holding it like a wand, she held it up, and electric pulses came out of it. Once it reached the Smashers, they all felt a painful shock throughout their bodies and they collapsed to the ground.

"Wh-What d-did you d-do?!" Falcon struggled to say as they all slowly stood up. They tried to summon their Smash Balls again, but no avail. They looked at each other in confusion.

"My Smash Ball! I can't summon it!" Ike said in disbelief.

"Me neither. What's going on?" Falco said.

"What have you done?" Lucario said to Akidan. All heads turned to her for answers.

"I was really saving it for a more special occasion, but I guess this will do. I nullified your Smash powers, so there won't be any last resort for you guys," Akidan said with a wicked smile. "Now, we'll take the kid." The remainder of the Subspace Army all rushed to where Arla was hiding.

The Smashers tried to assist her but they were still slightly paralysed from the nullifier. With every movement, they felt a shock struggling to move. From their disadvantage, half of the Subspace Army surrounded them with guns pointed at the group to restrain them.

"Don't be expecting a rescue anytime soon," Akidan said to Arla. Unlike the rest of the Smashers, Arla wasn't weakened from the shock since she didn't develop a Final Smash yet. Arla began to act as she used her grapple to get onto higher ground. She took out her katana and charged forward. With her agility, she dodged every attempt to capture her as well as blocked attack with her blade. When she saw her blade turn faintly purple, she began to use her sword even more to catch more attacks. Akidan noticed this.

"_What are you up to?"_ she thought. Then everyone saw the katana glowing the color purple like a heartbeat. Akidan finally figured out what was going on and moved out of the way.

*Arla's POV*

"**Ok. It's ready!" **I thought as I looked at my blade. I remembered my battle with Captain Falcon. I pulled off that special attack I didn't know I had, so I decided to use the same thing with the Subspace Army. With one swing, I struck my katana to the ground, and it generated a massive electric pulse that took out the entire Subspace Army. I watched as the Primids and clones all turned to Shadow Bugs, and the Shadow Bugs disintegrated into black mist.

"So your sword can absorb attacks. Interesting." I saw Akidan come straight at me with a golden blade in hand. I used my grapple to get out of the way in time. When I saw the blade though, I started to get a huge sense of deja vu. It felt like I saw that blade before.

"Don't think your done with me yet," Akidan said as she got into a battle stance. Then a arrow barely missed over Akidan's head. We turned to where it originated which was from Link's bow, and behind him was the rest of the Smashers back at full strength. I looked back toward Akidan to see her fists clenched, shaking with anger.

"Don't you people ever know when to stay down!" she said in frustration.

"Nope, we're all kinds of stubborn," Link said.

"Well I have one more trick up my sleeve." She then grabbed the device from before, and we all expected her to do that shock effect again. But this time, she pressed a different button on the device and raised it up high again. It generated a light blue shield dome around me and Akidan before the Smashers could reach us.

"**Dang it!" **I thought. I saw them trying to break through the shield, but it kept deflecting their attacks. Akidan must've taken a lot of time to form this much backup to her plans.

"Now there will be no more interruptions," Akidan said as she stood ready with sword in hand. I did the same thing, and we took our advance.

She knocked me in the head with the handle on her sword. I recovered to attack her back with my fans only for her to use her blade to swing them back to me. My metal fans bounced between us a couple of times until I caught one and used my grapple to catch the other one to attack back like a whip. I got her a couple of times, but then she grabbed my grapple and pulled me towards her which led to a punch in my gut. I was winded out. I landed a few feet back, and she pulled me towards her again. This time I launched a side kick to her leg, then punched her head the second she dropped. After she recovered, she rushed at me with her sword in front, and I came at her with the same approach and we clashed swords multiple times. We got out of that standstill once I moved my body away from the next attack and reacted with me kneeing Akidan in the gut.

We looked at each other and saw the bruises we made for the other. I looked at my sword again to see it purple again. It was strong enough for a sword beam, but not strong enough to create a powerful pulse. I still decided to use it now because I wanted to end the fight quick before I tire myself out. I raised my sword high in the air, ready to drop it to the ground. That is until I saw another hand grab the handle.

"Not this time," Akidan said, trying to pull the sword out of my grip, but I held it tightly. It was now a tug of war to see who will finish the other off. Then, we kicked each other in the chest. That made us both drop the sword, and a small, but still painful, wave of energy was released from it and hit us both. We both fell back a couple of feet from the sword looking tired. Once we stood up again, we looked at the sword and ran to grab it. I reached out, but as I was about to scoop it up, Akidan tackled me to the ground. She was on my back with her arms restraining mine. I tried to struggle out of her grasp, but I stopped and stared with wide eyes when I saw her blade raised over me.

I opened my hand, reaching out to my sword only a yard away from me, but it was too far away. I then twisted my body to backhand her off of me. Instead of a fist though, it was another sword. She was pushed back to the other side of the dome. Once I stood up I looked at my hand again. There was a sword in my hand that looked exactly like Falchion, Marth's sword. It was transparent, but it felt like the real thing. Then I gained another idea. I thought of Pit's bow, and suddenly, Falchion shapeshifted into just that. I remembered how Pit fired his bow, and I did the same thing as I fired multiple Light Arrows to Akidan. She saw them and moved out of the way just in time for the arrows to hit the dome, not creating any damage.

"You unlocked the Smash Bracelet's powers?!" Akidan said in surprise and anger. I looked down at the bracelet, and she was right. The bracelet was emitting a faint silver glow. With that, I used Zelda's magic to heal myself, and I was back at full power.

"**Here I come Akidan!"** I exclaimed in thought with a smirk.

I used Sonic's speed to rush at Akidan, grabbing my katana in the process. Then, I slashed her a couple of times. She regained control of herself and threw her blade, but I summoned Fox's reflector and the blade bounced off back to her. She caught it, but looked a bit distracted. I used that to my advantage and sang Jigglypuff's song to make her feel sleepy. Akidan stumbled. I came at her with a flaming fist.

"**FALCON PUNCH!" ** I yelled in thought. I uppercut her high in the sky. "**I've always wanted to say that!"** Then, I used Zelda's teleportation to appear above her before she went too high and brought down my sword hard, using Peach's floating ability to descend down slowly.

While she was down and out, I turned my attacks back to the Smashers still trying to break the barrier. I ran to where they're at and saw Lucario closing his eyes. He was trying to communicate with me.

"_Arla. Are you alright?" _he asked with his telepathy.

"**Yeah, she's knocked out for now. Can't you guys use you Final Smashes to break this barrier down?"**

"_We can't. While we are able to move again, our Final Smashes are still being restrained." _I looked back to see the device Akidan had laying beside her, but it was broken into pieces, likely from the last electric pulse my katana released.

"**But the device is destroyed. How is the barrier still up and your powers still not working?"**

"_ROB analyzed the device before it broke. He said that it was a spell that it released, but we don't know when it'll wear off."_

"**But I'm not affected. What if I did a Final Smash?"**

"_You don't have a Final Smash yet."_

"**True. But I might be able to use one of your Final Smashes."**

"_You sure the Smash Bracelet can produce that much energy to create one."_

"**Only one way to find out. You guys did say it has ALL of your powers, maybe Final Smashes as well. Here it goes, stand back." **

Lucario stood a couple of steps back, and everyone else followed his lead. I closed my eyes trying to think of a Final Smash that might be powerful enough to break the barrier. I didn't see many of the Smashers Final Smashes, so that limited my options. Then, I remembered Lucario's Aurastorm that I used when playing the ds game. A rainbow aura surrounded me. I stuck my hands out preparing to attack.

"**AURASTORM!" **I shouted in thought. A massive blast came out and went for the barrier. The barrier shook, and soon, the blast went through, shattering the dome. "**It worked!" **I thought with happiness.

*3rd Person POV*

Everyone was astonished at what Arla did. Then, Arla walked towards them with an exhausted look on her face. But after a couple of steps, she suddenly collapsed.

"Arla!" Peach said as the princess rushed to Arla's aid. Peach laid Arla's head on her lap. Zelda then sat down to check on her. "Will she be alright?" Peach said, worried. Zelda casted her magic over her body to check for severe injuries.

"Arla isn't too hurt. She's just exhausted for using a Final Smash for the first time," Zelda responded. Peach sighed in relief.

"I was really hoping her to have some fun today. That was a bust." Then everyone heard grunting noises. They all turned to Akidan getting back up. Everyone had their weapons and fists ready.

"Are you KIDDING ME?! After ALL of that planning?" she said obviously pissed off.

"Arla sure did a number on you," Pit said with a hint of laughter. "What are you gonna do abou-" he didn't finish his statement as he was punched it the gut by Ganondorf.

"Shut it angel. We're not getting jinxed by you again." Pit immediately shut up afterwards.

"This ain't over," Akidan muttered as she disappeared into a portal. The second she left, the citizens of Smashville became unfrozen and looked around in confusion then to the Smashers.

"What happened?" asked one of the citizens.

"Basically, more bad news and Subspace crud happened," Sonic replied.

"Master Hand will explain everything to you later once we report back to him. For now we have to return to the Smash Mansion to recuperate," Mario explained. After that, the Smashers left with DK carrying Arla, who was still unconscious.

"Who's the newcomer?" one person asked referring to Arla.

"Is she an assassin or a ninja?" another person asked.

"Maybe she's both. That would be so cool!" a kid commented.

"So the Smashers invited an assassin-ninja type fighter? They're really creating diversity in the roster. This ought to be an interesting scoop," a reporter said from within the crowd and walked off.

*Later at night in the Smash Mansion, Arla's POV*

"**Man I feel sore." **I thought as I opened my eyes. I found myself in the infirmary again and conveniently on the same bed as the last time I was here. I saw a couple of bandages on the biggest scratches I had. "**Some fight I had. What happened?"** Then I heard a knock on the door and Peach entered with a plate in her hand with a small cup and a teapot.

"Hello Arla. I made you some tea to help you feel better." She set the plate down and poured some tea into the cup and gave it to me. I lightly blew on it then took a sip. I never liked tea, but I still drank it to not be rude. I involuntarily stuck my tongue out in disgust. Peach saw this and looked at me. I then wrote down in my notebook.

"**Sorry for being rude like that. I don't like tea that much." **I looked down in embarrassment.

"That's fine. What do you like to drink?" I looked at her taken aback a bit. That was the first time someone asked for my preference.

"**Coffee."**

"Oh, just like Snake."

"**I didn't know Snake liked coffee."**

"He says it's a way to 'not die in the worst possible case'," she quoted. "Come on let's meet up with the rest. Many of them are worried about you." She reached out her hand, and I grabbed it so she can help me up. I stumbled a bit, still being sore from the fight. Peach grabbed my arm and put it over her shoulders to help me walk. It took a while with me limping, but we managed to get to the living room. We saw the Smashers watching the latest news of what happened to Smashville.

"_**We are live with Master Hand as he explains the recent event that happened to Smashville this afternoon." The camera then turns to see several reporters surrounding Master Hand who left the mansion to meet with the people.**_

"_**Before I explain the specifics, yes, the Subspace Army has returned. We are here to stop it when necessary. The thing they're after is a creation I created that was suppose to aid the Smashers. Sadly, it had its flaws and is now officially stuck onto the newcomer, Arla Nadika," Master Hand explained.**_

"_**You mean that assassin-ninja lady that defeated the leader of the attack?" a reporter questioned.**_

"_**Yes, her. Wait, assassin-ninja?"**_

"_**Yeah, many people who witnessed the event unfrozen said that they saw a girl defeat the person in the black coat who commanded the army. From the looks of her attire, they argued that she looked like an assassin or a ninja, so they claimed her to be both due to her intimidating look."**_

"_**Claim her as you want, as long as it's nothing insulting. But yes, the 'assassin-ninja' was the turning point of the battle, thanks to her harnessing the power of the Smash Bracelet." Then other witnesses began to comment on the event.**_

"_**It was crazy. When I saw her with that katana of hers, I thought she was a ninja. She was just as quiet as one to. I wouldn't want to get near her to get on her bad side," someone said astonished.**_

"_**I thought with her glare, she looked like she wanted to outright kill the leader. Luckily she didn't see me or I would've wet my pants," another one laughed out.**_

"_**Man I bet the Smashers would be creeped out by her-" **_The TV was turned off by Samus. Everyone looked towards me as I struggled not to cry. It's hard enough when people say that behind my back at school. But here in the Smash World crosses a line.

"Ignore them Arla, they always criticize us even when they don't mean to. You get used to it," Mario said trying to cheer me up. But I didn't listen.

"What criticism? They only stated what they saw," Toon Link said. Sonic, Mario, Fox, Lucario sent a glare to him. Everyone was confused except for the Ice Climbers. Even though Nana and Popo had a small interaction with me, they knew what I was thinking about.

"Uh oh," they whispered in unison. I didn't write anything down nor did I communicate with movements. I got out of Peach's grasp and stood up on my own, though it still hurt on my legs.

"Arla don't, you still haven't recovered. That'll only make it-" Peach didn't finish as I limped out of the room. I limped all the way to my bedroom, silently crying when doing so.

"**No one will want to see me for who I really am,"** I thought in despair, as I entered through the door not wanting to come out for a long time.

*Lucario's POV*

I can tell she was upset by everyone's comments. I looked towards Sonic, Mario, and Fox to see them with the same reactions to her leaving. We all had nasty comments by the critics, but Arla was given the same comments almost throughout her entire life. I checked her aura before she left.

"_No emotion, again. Her entire aura feels as cold as ice and as hard as stone," _I thought. Throughout her stay in the mansion, I could tell that her aura was growing warmer with every interaction she had with us. I felt a flame that was mixed with all sorts of emotions, slowly growing. But the critics shriveled away that flame again back to cold stone.

"What was that about. It was just the regular critics saying their assumptions about us again," Falcon said.

"Well, have you ever had the same false assumptions told about you throughout your life, and you couldn't do anything to prove them wrong?" Fox said and everyone shook their head. "Well that's exactly Arla's problem right there."

"What do you mean by that?" Zelda asked. The four of us looked at each other.

"Should we tell them? I mean it's not exactly our place to tell," Sonic said being cautious about revealing any personal stuff.

"At this point they deserve to know," Mario said. He looked at me and nodded. I nodded back and turned to the crowd.

"During Arla's first night here, Sonic, Mario, Fox, and I got a chance to know her more. Back at her school, people talked behind her back about the same stuff those witnesses talked about. How she looked intimidating, scary, and unapproachable. Even when she was one of the best at both academics and athleticism, they saw her as one to only focus on her own activities when she was the total opposite of their claims. She couldn't speak up prove them wrong no matter how much she tried. Eventually, she accepted her loneliness, which is why she has a hard time opening to others," I explained.

"Oh dear, how sad," Zelda stated.

"So what'll happen now?" Samus asked as she and the rest of us looked back to the entrance where Arla left.


	8. Chapter 6: A Gimmer of Flame

**The Power of a Voice**

**Chapter 6: A Glimmer of Flame**

*3rd Person POV*

It's been a few days after the attack on Smashville. The Smashers regained their lost Smash Balls again and healed completely. The only one that remained broken was Arla. She was still upset about the reactions that people had just by looking at her. Because of that, she remained locked in her room, even more isolated than before. A few Smashers tried to knock on her door to check on her. First it was Mario and Sonic, then it was Link and Zelda, then Samus, then Snake, even Wolf had an attempt. She shut them all out as she continued to cry in her room.

She came out for meals of course. But every time she came into the room, she always had a dull look. She felt completely dead both inside and out, and she never batted an eye toward any of the Smashers. Whenever someone tried to talk to her, she would completely ignore them and continue eating. After that, she would walk straight back to her room, putting minimal effort into her movements. Everyone began to worry for her mental health, and they wanted to find a way to keep the pressure off of her. Then Master Hand had an idea.

"What activities do you do in your spare time?" he asked and everyone looked at each other confused.

*Arla's POV*

I almost feel like they lied to me. They said I could start over, but I can't even get away from what made me who I was. I knew I felt alone and anti-social, but they gave me the encouragement to try even harder. Even that feeling was a wasted effort. I sat on my bed with my hood up and hugging my knees. I feel how I was before.

Than 'me' showed up with my old outfit and her injuries. I knew it was only my consciousness. I called her "Umbra", representing the shadow of myself.

"_I told you they weren't your friends," _Umbra said, but it felt like her voice came from my head.

"**Go away,"** I bluntly demanded through my thoughts.

"_You know you can't stay here, they'll become desperate."_

"**I know already, just shut up,"** I said, frustrated by her persistence.

"_I just want to help."_

"**You stabbed me in the throat."**

"_I was doing you a favor. You wanted a voice because you wanted to express how you felt. You did figure out a work-around to that, and you finally started to open up to your emotions because of that. But look where that got you. They played with your feeling. They gave you false hope. They used you."_

"**Well some reassurance was better than no reassurance."**

"_All the more reason for it to be better to stay as you were before, alone but safe." _I looked at Umbra in confusion. "_When you constantly feel the same, there will be no ups and downs. The more happiness you have the more pain will be given once that happiness is taken from you. That pain is inevitable, and when given a voice, it will only become stronger."_

I looked down in deep thought. She is right. Before I met the Smashers, I never smiled or was filled with any spark of joy, but at the same time, nothing hurt. When I opened up, I felt better than ever before, that's true, but I never felt that much pain before. It almost made me thankful that I don't have a voice. Then, I thought of something.

"**But you were the one who offered me a voice in the first place, and you wanted the Smash Bracelet, which technically, you already have because you're supposed to be me. You even offered me a chance to 'join' you, when really, you are pretty much stuck to me. Why did you ask all those bargains when you are meant to be my consciousness. It's not like my thoughts can use powers."**

"_Who said I was you?" _I stared at her with even more confusion but also surprise.

"**What do you mean? All your implications of yourself say that you're me, you appearing in my dreams show promise, and to top it all off, you have my face." **I glared at her with frustration. Then she quietly laughed.

"_You know, your surname always caught my eye." _That threw me off a lot. Then, I jumped when I heard a knock at my door. "_That's my cue to leave, adieu."_

"**No wait!" **With a bow, she disappeared like mist. I was about to answer the door until I remembered my situation. I wasn't ready to face them yet, not until I can pull myself together. I should to remain headstrong so I didn't have to be a deadweight for everyone. Like them, I shouldn't care about what others think. Then, the knocking got louder.

"Arla, Master Hand wants all the Smashers to meet him at the entrance. By every Smasher, he also means you," Meta Knight said on the other side. Time to get my game face on. I opened the door.

*3rd Person POV*

Meta Knight saw Arla slowly open the door and walk out with the same emotionless face she had for the past couple of days as well as her black hood over her head.

"Nice to see you out again," he said. Arla only nodded and walked beside him. On their way, Meta Knight glanced back at her a couple of times to see if he can help improve her emotional state. She kept looking ahead the entire time. Even though it wasn't his specialty, he tried to strike up a conversation.

"May I ask why you chose those weapons for battle?" he questioned but mentally facepalmed himself for choosing a topic that was too random. Arla hesitated at first, then she decided to take out her notebook and write down.

"**The grapple is for my recovery and quick escapes when necessary, in addition, it can be useful to gain momentum when swinging, adding more force to my attacks. Fox's reflector actually convinced me to use the fans for reflecting attacks back. It came in handy in Fox's battle with me. As for the katana, I had it before I came to this world."**

"Why did you have a sword with you in your world."

"**My older sister, Julia Nadika, actually gave it to me before I left. Yes, she knows you all exist, but she promised not to tell anyone, and I trust her. Anyway, this is my dad's katana. It's an heirloom that has been passed down, and it's used for when the Nadika family need to fight most. It's always passed down to the oldest child of each generation, which means this belongs to Julia."**

"Wouldn't you having this dishonor your family name then?"

"**I do feel some shame from having this, but my sister was never one for tradition. She was always so easygoing, but also stubborn. I knew I couldn't argue my way out of it, so I accepted the sword. But I made a promise to myself to make sure this sword stays in one piece."**

"I'm sure she would be proud of you for using it for the greater good," he said. Arla only nodded again. They arrived at the entrance with everyone present. Some looked at Arla and gently waved at her, but she disregarded them and turned her attention to the hand.

"Hello Smashers. Today all battles have been cancelled today, and we're going to do a different competition." Everyone was confused at that. "Today will be the Mini-Olympics."

"Mini-Olympics?" everyone asked.

"Yep. You will all face in different challenges to see how well of a multi talented person you are in intelligence, speed, and strength. You could be the best at the activity you thought you were worst at or vice versa. Instead of the main sporting events, there will be other competitions that are usually minor. There will be some of the main events but with some twists. Are you all ready?"

"YEAH!" they shouted, except for some of the obvious and Arla.

Event 1: Archery

The Mario characters and Sonic were used to the event since they were in the Olympics, but what they didn't expect was to be in the battle simulator and for the targets to be moving and have lasers attached to them.

"The aim of this event, shoot and you don't get shot," Master Hand explained. He gave everyone a regular bow, even Pit. Pit thought in was going to be easy since he's an archer, but he was so used to his Light Arrows moving to his target that he never considered how regular arrows were used. He kept missing every shot.

"What! Come on! HIT ALREADY!" Pit screamed.

"Aw, the little angel too reliant on his special bow?" Falco teased as he shot one target. Pit yelled in frustration one more time before a laser hit him, taking him out of the stage and onto the sidelines.

After ten minutes, many of the Smashers were out except for five people, Link, Lucas, Marth, Luigi, and Arla. Link was the most experienced archer and he shot many of the moving targets with ease. Lucas was still surviving by dodging most of the time. Marth was dodging left and right, but he didn't see a laser in front of him and he was taken out. Luigi waited for less lasers to be pointed at him and he concentrated to fire at another target, Arla was maneuvering through the lasers as if she was dancing and counteracted with a shot every time a laser fired at her.

Lucas was soon overrun by lasers pointed at him and he was taken out after that. Luigi was always too focused on one target that he missed all the other pointed at him and was shot out. Only Arla and Link were left, and they were doing exemplary with their aim. The rest watched.

"Arla is doing well at this. I didn't know she was good at archery," Samus said.

"Well one of the classes she did take was archery," Fox said.

"Oh really, what other classes did she do?" Snake asked.

"Other than archery, she said chemistry, engineering, gymnastics, piano, and martial arts," Mario replied. They then went back to watching the match.

Link was still holding out, so was Arla. Then Arla stopped dodging, she stared at something on the other side of the arena. To the Smashers, they saw nothing, but to Arla, she saw Umbra again holding a golden blade. Arla watched as she jumped onto a target and was ready to pounce at her. She blinked for a second to see not Umbra coming towards her but another laser. She had no time to react as she was hit and taken out.

Link came out of the simulator and congratulated Arla for the challenge. They shook hand and turned to MH for the next event.

Event 2: Mario Kart

Everyone chose their selective vehicle. Some were regular cars while others were bikes. Pikachu and Kirby decided not to join since they have the shortest arms and that no kart or bike that suited them. Sonic was there pouting as he got in his go-kart.

"Do I really have to ride one of these," Sonic complained.

"YES!" everyone yelled to him. He sighed one more time before getting into his ride.

The track was Rainbow Road from N64 (on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe). Everyone revved up their engines as the Lakitu floated above them. After the first light, they began to charge up, and after the 3rd light they all raced. There were no items since not everyone knows how to use them, but the stage hazards are still on. Arla never rode a vehicle so fast before. She remembered the Smashers talking about a drift to gain a boost. Arla then tried to drift with her bike, but it took most of her strength to have her do so without falling off or crashing into walls. It worked, but when she got out of the drift, she had to hold onto the handles for her dear life.

Some were also not accustomed to the fast speed or the vehicles. Zelda, with her world not having automated vehicles, struggled to even drive. She kept bumping into people. First Snake, then Luigi, then Red. Captain Falcon and Mario were neck and neck far at the front, being the most experienced racers. It was obvious to everyone that one of the two would win. People kept going through boost tunnels, falling off the track, dodging the Chain Chomp Balls, and doing victory poses on the wavy road to get boosts.

On the 3rd checkpoint, lap 3, Arla was doing better than she thought. She'd think she would be dead last, but she's in 12th place and close to the end. The other eleven already passed the finish line, and Arla was about to do the same until Umbra appeared through her thoughts again. She stood directly in Arla's path to the finish, and Arla let go of the throttle to slow down. But she was so distracted with her inner conscious that she didn't notice one of the racers, Olimar, coming up behind her. He crashed with her which led to two crashes, then four, until the whole road became a traffic jam near the finish. The other eleven winners saw this and help the others out.

"What happened?" Falcon asked. Arla quickly wrote down a fast excuse for her hallucination.

"**I'm sorry that was my fault. My hand slipped on the handle, and my bike slowed down creating the road block," **Arla wrote then bowed in shame.

"It's fine, the race is over anyway." Arla walked away after that, gripping her head under her hood. Falcon then telepathically talked to Lucario.

"_How is she doing," _Falcon asked.

"_I sense some stress in her, probably from her messing up the race. Other than that, nothing. Let's keep trying to keep the pressure off of her. But I can tell you that what she wrote wasn't entirely true," _Lucario explained. "_It was faint, but I sensed some deceit in her aura. She didn't 'accidently' let go of her throttle. She's hiding something."_

"_You know now that I think about, during both events, she stopped so suddenly as if she saw something. Then after a couple of seconds, something would get her out of that trance."_

"_Maybe you're right. I'll to check her aura every now and then to see her condition." _Both nodded and got ready for the next event.

Event 3: Mathematics

"UUUUGGGHHHH!" everyone groaned at the next event, but ROB was enjoying himself since he was the host.

"Math really? WHY?" Toon Link complained.

"I did say the Mini-Olympics was about strength, speed, AND intelligence," MH repeated.

"Alright as long as it's nothing too hard," Ness said as they started.

"Question 1: x=3, y=4, what is r?" ROB said.

"I said nothing too hard!"

"It isn't. This is basic math." Arla then wrote down her answer quickly and showed it.

"**5"**

"Correct." Ness looked at her in surprise.

"How could you know that?!"

"**ROB said it was basic math. He's right. Math is one of the basics for engineering." **Then they moved onto the next question.

"Question 2: Solve: arcsin(cos(180))"

"This is gonna be a long day," Falco said trying to solve it. But Arla had the answer already.

"**270 degrees"**

"Correct again." Throughout the questions, the Smashers constantly struggled for the answers. Arla did the work on her notebook and circled the answer to show to ROB. Some even tried to look at Arla's notebook to get the answers, but no one understood the work she did. Soon they came to the final question.

"_Thank goodness," _everyone thought in her head.

"Question 10: What type of equation is this, and what are the products? CH4 + O2 yields to ? + ?"

This got everyone stumped even more. Arla was also confused but in a different way. They saw her confused face and began to wonder if she didn't have an answer either. Then they saw her write down an answer to show to ROB.

"**It's a combustion equation, the products are H****2****O and CO****2****, and for the record, that's not even a math problem. It's a chemistry problem." **ROB relooked at the problem.

"Oh yeah, it is chemistry. Sorry everyone." Arla simply walked away to the next event. Lucario took a glimpse at her aura again.

"_Thank god that was over. But her aura didn't improve. If anything, that event must've added oil onto the fire since it reminded her of school. Let's hope this last event can help her," _he thought and went on his way.

Final Event: Talent Show

There was a stage up and waiting that MH created. The first ones up were Ness and Lucas where they used their powers to create a sphere with fire, ice, and lightning coexisting with each other, and they shot it up to the sky to create fireworks. Meta Knight was next, and he made an ice sculpture of himself in 5 seconds with his fast sword swing. Peach and Zelda did a ballet dance performance together. Link played a soothing tune on his ocarina. Sonic used his guitar and sang "Escape from the City".

Once all the Smashers went, it was Arla's turn next. She decided to play her favorite song "I Burn" on the piano. As she played, she sang the lyrics in her head.

_**[Insert Music: "I Burn" (Piano Instrumental) by: SheNoob]**_

**Come at me, and you'll see**

**I'm more than meets the eye**

**You think that, you'll break me**

**You're gonna find in time**

**You're standing too close to a flame that's burning**

**Hotter than the sun in the middle of July**

**Sending out your army, but you still can't win**

**Listen up silly boy, cause I'm gonna tell you why**

**I Burn!**

**Can't hold me now**

**You got nothing that can stop me**

**I Burn!**

**Swing all you want**

**Like a fever I will take you down**

**Reign supreme, in your dreams**

**You'll never make me bow**

**Kick my ass, I'm world class**

**And Super Saiyan now**

**You're starting up a fight that you just can't finish**

**Watch the little hearts while they scrape you off the floor**

**Bringing out your rockets, well shoot them baby**

**High as you can go, but I'm the one who's gonna soar**

**I Burn!**

**Can't hold me now**

**You got nothing that can stop me**

**I Burn!**

**Swing all you want**

**Like a fever I will take you down**

**It doesn't have to be this way**

**Let's kiss and make up, then you'll learn**

**You can't fight your life away**

**I get what I want so don't bother and just watch me burn**

As she played the instrumental of the song, the Smashers began to clap to the beat. Lucario was listening to the lyrics in her head, then checked her aura again, and he surprised to find the flame of her aura burning brighter than ever.

**I Burn!**

**Can't hold me now**

**You got nothing that can stop me**

**I Burn!**

**Swing all you want**

**Like a fever I will take you down!**

When she finished her piece, everyone clapped for her, yet she kept the straight face. Lucario felt her aura's flame die down again once she was done.

"Well with that final performance, we now conclude the Mini-Olympics. Wow, that took the entire day," Master Hand said.

"Well, the math event took up most of the day," Popo said still annoyed by it.

*Arla's POV*

I was walking back to my room when I bumped into Lucario. We began to talk with telepathy.

"**I know you were checking my aura," **I told him with a glare. He stepped back a bit in surprise but remained calm.

"_Was it that obvious?" _he asked in defeat.

"**For me, yes. You check it so often that it's easy to tell at this point. Was that the reason why Master Hand held the Mini-Olympics?"**

"_You catch on quick. Yes, we did that competition so you can lighten up. After watching the news, you were really distant with everyone, almost as you were before."_

"**Before?"**

"_You were solemn and apathetic. But during your stay here at the mansion, you were opening up, starting with me, Mario, Sonic, and Fox. You could've rejected our request to know about you, but you didn't. You could've gotten out of Peach's grasp when she dragged you to Smashville, but you went along. You've grown, but it stopped when you heard the news. But why didn't you let us help you?"_

"**I didn't feel ready to face all of you with me struggling like that. If my emotions faltered, that would be another problem that I laid upon you. I've always been expected to keep my head high through any situation, by my parents and teachers. They had relieved faces when I looked fine and pretended to shrug off others comments. I wanted to make sure you all wouldn't worry either."**

"_No one here wants you to be like that anymore. We said it before, and I'll say it again. You have a chance to start over and don't hesitate to ask for help. Don't waste this chance." _I looked at Lucario with wide eyes. He was right. No one from my world was here. No one knows me in this world except the Smashers, and they wanted me to be happy.

"**Thank you Lucario," **I said with a smile and a single tear rolling down. I put my hood further over my face to hide the tear, but Lucario already saw it and chuckled lightly.

"_There is one thing I want to ask you about. During the first to events you stopped so suddenly, and it looked like you were staring at something. I know you didn't slip your hand on the throttle during Mario Kart."_

"**Oh that. During the past couple of days here, even before my first tournament battle, I saw what I thought was my inner conscious because she looked exactly like me and even implied she was me, I named her Umbra as a shadow of myself. But she said she wasn't me, which confused me on why I always see her. She really likes to make herself the center of my attention."**

"_Just ignore her. She might eventually disappear." _I nodded and we went back to our own rooms. When I entered, Umbra was there, leaning against the wall.

"_Oh, now some people are onto me, how exciting," _Umbra said. I walked straight pass her and onto my bed. She frowned. "_What nothing to say, or rather think."_

"**You're only a figment in my head that causes chaos to my friends. The accident you made me pull in on the race track could've been serious."**

"_Are you seriously calling them friends?" _she said a bit annoyed.

"**Yes, they always will be. No matter what consequences there are, they are willing to help me face them. If you don't like that then you might as well leave." **I went straight to sleep after that. Umbra just growled and disappeared.

*Sonic's POV*

No wonder Lucario was taking so long. Lucario is my roommate. Tonight, he took longer than usual to get back, so I went looking for him. I found him talking telepathically with Arla again. Whatever he said must've made Arla really happy. I can tell that she did start to open up again. They walked away from each other. I went over to ask him what they talked about.

"I was trying to help her, nothing more," Lucario said.

"You know I can't help but notice how much attention you have to her," I said.

"You're not wrong. She has an emotional struggle within her. Something like that shouldn't be dealt with alone. We are all willing to help her, but she doesn't want to accept it. Showing her we care can be the first step to her healing process."

"You are really good with children you know that."

"Perhaps, but maybe I also want to help her because she used to be sort of like me."

"Oh yeah, you couldn't speak before either."

"Yes, but you didn't give up on me, and you helped me with learning. I guess i just wanted to spread your kindness towards others," Lucario replied. That was sweet. We smiled at each other and walked back to our room.

*?*

"So you got your ass handed to you," said the big boss.

"Sadly, yes, but I have an idea on how to persuade her," Akidan said.

"And that is?"

"It's in motion as we speak, but no luck on the kid's cooperation. Those Smashers are just too goodie goodie towards her. But I have something of hers that will definitely work."

"It better. I have given you way too much generosity, don't let this be a waste of time."

"It won't." Akidan then summoned a dark purple bubble with someone inside. "Let's see what she is willing to give up.

A/N: Well, that was longer than expected. The ideas just kept flowing. Hope you enjoyed!


	9. Chapter 7: Answers

**The Power of a Voice**

**Chapter 7: Answers**

It has been a few weeks since Lucario confronted Arla. Ever since then, Arla began smiling more, and Umbra hasn't been bothering her anymore. All the Smashers noticed her change of heart. She was leaving her room more often, and the kid Smashers even saw her as another mother figure other than Peach and Zelda. Arla even joins the princesses in some shopping trips to the mall. Not for the clothes, but for some company and time to talk. Right now Arla was sparring with Ike, Marth, and Link to improve her sword skills.

Ike went up against Link, and Marth with Arla. So far, Marth and Arla's movements were almost mirroring each other's. Time felt like it slowed down when they crossed each other with swords barely missing them, resulting with them standing back to back. Marth and Arla then reacted with a sword swing from their left side, but they stopped their attacks with their swords one inch from the other's neck. They stared for a minute, then they smiled and let down their arms.

"I think that's enough for today. Well done Arla," Marth said. Arla smiled and bowed as a sign of thanks for the battle. Both of them ducked when they saw Link fly over them. They both turned their heads to see Ike with his sword brought down as if he hit something. Link got back up.

"I think I'm losing my touch," Link said.

"I'm sure your mojo will come around soon," Ike said with a smirk. We all had a light chuckle. "So, any other plans you guys have?" Arla shook her head.

"I think I have a tournament match later against Pikachu, Snake, and Kirby," Marth replied.

"I'm going to shoot some targets some more," Link added. Then the alarm rang, indicating the Smashers that something urgent was going on. They all nodded and raced to the meeting room. When they arrived, they saw everyone else already in the room. MH pulled up a screen in Smashville to see the Subspace Army attacking again.

"So there up to no good again," DeDeDe said.

"But why now? We haven't seen them since their last attack when they turned the citizens into stone," Samus said.

"Only one way to find out. Smashers, you know what to do," MH said. They all ran out to Smashville. When they arrived, everything was in chaos again. People were running all over the place, trying to get away from the Subspace Army. The Smashers did what they did best while Peach tried to calm everyone down.

"Please everyone. Remain calm and stay out of sight as we settle this situation," Peach said. The people then ran into the nearest building and went out of sight. Then she joined the fight again. In the distance, Akidan watched as the Smashers took down more of the Subspace Army. Someone came up behind her that looked like a knight with the helmet covering their entire head. Akidan turned to the soldier.

"Are you ready for your first fight?" Akidan asked. It nodded. "Then don't disappoint." They both jumped in to join the fight.

Arla was doing exceptionally well. She learned to master most of the powers of the Smash Bracelet thanks to her new friends, but some refused to tell her just because it's their property or that they want her to learn it by herself.

She used PK Fire to destroy another group of Primids, then she got a plan. She saw Zelda, Lucas, Mario, and Bowser nearby and whistled to grab their attention. They turned to her and she created a fireball in her palms slowly growing, and they got the idea and added to the fire. Then, Arla released it destroying almost have of the Subspace Army.

She then saw Captain Falcon and waved. He saw her get her katana out and pointed to him then the blade. He smiled and used his Falcon Punch on the blade, which absorbed the energy. Arla brought it down and released the stored up energy, defeating another wave.

She gained another idea when she saw DK. She rushed over to him slashing Primids in the process. Arla tapped on his shoulder and showed him her grapple then showed a swinging movement with her hands. He understood and grabbed the rope aimed at him, then got a running start. Once fast enough, Arla pulled and swung DK with all her might towards the remainders. DK swung a hard punch which turned them into Shadow Bugs which separated and fled. Once the army retreated they turned to see Akidan and some knight with their face hidden enter the scene.

"Back for more. When will you quit?" Wolf said with his gun pointed at them. Everyone else got prepared.

"You're one to talk. Now we need to finish this. Senka, you know what to do," Akidan said as she summoned her golden blade to fight. The knight, who was called Senka, also took out a sword, but it looked exactly like Arla's katana. This caught the Smashers eyes.

"How did they get that sword?" Snake said as he looked between the one Arla had and Senka had. Arla shrugged her shoulders and shook her head frantically, showing that she doesn't know either. What really was confusing was that Senka lit the sword up with the purple color by themselves just and shot out an energy pulse towards the Smashers and blew them back. The katana was almost an exact replica of the real thing.

"What the crap! How does it have the same powers!?" Wario asked as he got back up as well as the rest of the Smashers.

"Oh she's full of surprises. Now then, you and I have some unfinished business," Akidan said. She suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind Arla, who was at the back of the Smashers, and kicked Arla high up and away from them, and Akidan followed her in pursuit. The Smashers were about to assist, but Senka jumped in the way and sent another pulse knocking them back again. As they got up, Senka was in ready position for a fight.

*Arla's POV*

I was launched far from the group, pretty much to an entirely different area. As I was falling, I used my grapple to latch onto a nearby tree branch and swing down to break my fall. Akidan showed up shortly afterwards, landing a few feet in front of me. She ran to me with her blade out, and I her. While fighting, I used Lucario's telepathy to get in touch with the other Smashers.

"**Is everyone holding up?" **I said in thought.

"_Yes, we're fine. But this Senka person is giving us a workout,"_ Link said as he blocked another quick attack with his sword.

"_Yeah, she's able to block any of our attacks with that ultra sword attack of yours. Woah!" _Sonic said as he dodged another sword beam.

"_There are also other attacks Senka uses with that sword, mainly elemental attacks. Fire, ice, earth, lightning, you name it, even gravity," _Falco said as he recovered from getting flung to a wall with said gravity attack. "_Either you didn't unlock these powers from your katana yet, or this katana has some new features as well as the ones based off your own."_

"**Alright. Akidan has me busy also. I'll try and beat her quick so I can help with my energy pulse attack."**

"_You should really name that move," _Pit said, launching a few arrows at the rocks thrown at him.

"**I'll put it into consideration after we get this done. Good luck."**

"_Same to you, over and out," _Meta Knight said as I shut off the telepathic communications. I focused back on my fight again. Akidan was about to stab me straight in the chest, but I leaned to the right in time. The sword was right to my side. Then, I grabbed the golden sword's handle and elbowed Akidan in the head, making her let go of the sword.

I had both swords now as I rushed towards her and raised both high up, but when I brought them down, she caught both of them, each blade in one hand. She was a lot stronger than I thought.

"Really, you're not the slightest bit curious about that golden blade?" When I heard that, my eyes shifted over to that sword. Once again, I had the sense of nostalgia, but I still couldn't figure it out. Akidan saw my pondering and stood up with both blades still in her hands. That brought me down to one knee, for she was winning the contest of strength. She decided to perk my interests even further.

"You saw this blade somewhere haven't you." I closed my eyes to try and remember, but I couldn't. "Come on. I gave you so many hints, but nothing. Not even my new partner's name gave you an answer? Come on just think." She kicked me to the ground. I still had my sword, but she got hers back. I looked down on the ground to think.

"**Senka. What does it mean? Wait I remember, I overheard one of my classmates saying that Senka means shadow in Serbian, but what does this have to do with that blade? Who also has the name of shadow of some sort, other than Sonic's ally? Think, think think! Umbra, that's right. Her name is shadow in Latin. But how can that-" **I suddenly remembered the dream I had with myself. When I first met Umbra. I remember when she stabbed me in the throat.

She stabbed me with a golden blade.

I looked up to Akidan with wide eyes. She noticed my change in attitude and smirked under her hood.

"Did you finally figure it out?" I slowly nodded still in disbelief. "About time." She then dramatically took off her robe and I saw her face and clothes. It was Umbra with the same clothes as before as well as her exact face as mine. I couldn't believe it as I quickly stood up and stepped back.

"Surprise!" She said. I stood frozen, not knowing how to react. She then opened another portal. "Well, I'll leave you with your thoughts. This is going to be fun. Adieu." She walked into the portal. I ran to stop her for more answers, but the portal disappeared the second I reached the spot. I looked down as my sword glowed from all the attacks she threw at me. I then remembered that the Smashers had someone to deal with, and I used my grapple to get to them.

"**Nevermind Umbra for now. Or Akidan? Whatever. I need to get to them fast."**

I used my grapple to latch onto different things to get to the Smashers quicker.

*3rd Person POV*

The Smashers grew tired after fighting against Senka for so long. Some were bruised from the heavy attacks. They tried to avoid hitting the katana as much as they could, but even with them not hitting it as much, the knight was able to send out charged pulses all the time. Zelda tried to heal people up, but she was starting to run out of magic.

"How the hell can that wench keep charging up pulses!?" Bowser exclaimed as he blocked a pulse with his shell.

"Must be another upgrade," Fox replied. Then they all charged toward the knight. Senka retaliated with a freeze blast that froze all the Smashers legs. Some with shorter or no legs were buried deeper into the ice.

"Hey, what was-" Peach tried to say, but was stopped when everyone heard a phone ringtone to call someone.

"Hold up a second," Senka said calmly as she put two fingers to where it appeared to be her ear with a communicator as well as a hand out showing stop to the Smashers. She looked like she was making a call. The Smashers simply stared.

"You can talk?!" they all asked.

"Yeah, I just don't like to that often," Senka replied as she made her call. "Yeah?" The Smashers could only hear murmurs from the other side of the com as they watched silently. Senka then nodded, and turned back to the Smashers.

"Let's finish this quick." With that, Senka charged up her sword one more time and jumped high into the sky, readying one last energy pulse. The Smashers braced for impact, believing they were all going to turn into trophies.

Then, Senka sensed someone coming at her hot. She looked with the corner of her eye to see Arla jump up to her with her katana in front. Senka reacted with her blade out as well. The blades contacted and two massive energy pulses came out from both swords, sending both Senka and Arla down to the ground hard. They both slowly got up and looked at each other.

They ran towards each other with their attacks ready, until another ringtone was heard. They both stopped and Senka called her com again. Arla stared in confusion. She turned to the Smashers pointing her thumb at Senka trying to say 'what's up with her stopping the fight'. The group just shrugged their shoulders. They saw Senka turning towards Arla. Senka bowed, confusing Arla and catching her off guard, but then she threw a smoke bomb to Arla. Once Arla was blinded, she jumped out of the scene and made her escape.

The smoke soon cleared, and Arla couldn't find Senka. She turned her attention to the Smashers with their legs still frozen. She helped them melt the ice as well as Mario, Bowser, Charizard, Lucas, Ness, and Zelda, for they also had flame powers. After checking that no more members of the Subspace Army remained, they returned to the Smash Mansion. They gathered around the living room, confused.

"What was the point of that attack?" Mario asked.

"Well obviously, it was for the Smash Bracelet," Pit said pointing to it. Arla shook her head though, she knew there was more to that attack.

"Arla's right. That new knight person, Senka, could've fought Arla to get the Smash Bracelet while we were immobilized, but whoever she was talking to on her com didn't want her to do so," Samus explained.

"Both Senka and Akidan came at the same time, and it didn't look like they were fighting each other, so they likely have the same orders. So why didn't Senka grab it while she had the chance?" Meta Knight added. Everyone began to wonder as well.

"Maybe they already got what they wanted," Lucas said.

"No. When on a retrieval mission, you would want to entrust the target to someone higher up in the ranks. Akidan and Senka fit that criteria, but they were with us and Arla in the battle. Either they have someone else in their ranks, or they wanted something from us," Snake stated. "Arla, was there anything you found out when you confronted Akidan?" Everyone looked at Arla. She wrote down it her notebook, then showed it to everyone.

"**A lot actually. When we fought, she had me pinned down for a moment. She could have killed me to take the bracelet during that moment, but throughout the entire fight, it looked like she held back, like she wanted me to figure something out. Then, she told me questions that made me stop and think. All she did was wait for me to put the pieces together. I did, and I found out who Akidan is." **This caught the Smashers attention tenfold.

"Who is she?" Nana said, a bit excited.

"**The answer is a bit weird. You might not like it."**

"Just tell us the truth," Mario said.

"**Alright. Akidan is me." **Everyone was confused about that answer. Some even got there weapons ready in case they had a spy all along in the mansion. "**Not me per se, but Umbra."**

"You mean that conscience you had that used to haunt you?" Lucario asked. They all turned to Lucario in confusion. "Umbra was the name of her inner conscience that guided Arla in the wrong path a few weeks back." The group nodded in understanding.

"**Yes. She said she wasn't me, and what she said was true. Umbra, or now we know as Akidan, wanted the Smash Bracelet from me, so she tried to turn me against you by acting as a conscience. But the logic of her demands made no sense when she pretended to be me, and that threw her off. She probably didn't haunt me anymore because she knew she would be discovered. When she unveiled herself in front of me, she looked exactly like Umbra, and Umbra looked exactly like me."**

"That makes sense now about why her name is Akidan," Wolf said.

"**Why?"**

"Kid, haven't you noticed that Akidan in Nadika spelled backwards? That's your surname." Arla stared at him dumbfounded. He simply rolled his eyes. "Wow, you never knew you were fighting yourself."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Fox questioned.

"At first, I thought it was just coincidence, so I shrugged it off. Also, I thought it was obvious."

"What about Senka?" Ness asked.

"**That was the first time I saw her. Akidan mentioned her name as a hint to me to figure out who she was. That couldn't be a coincidence. She said it as if it was just given to her recently. She said, 'Even my partner's name can't give you an answer?' or something like that."**

"Her voice did seem familiar to me, but I can't put my finger on who," Sonic said.

"You and me both," Mario added.

"**She talked?"**

"Only briefly before you showed up, but yeah."

"Did you two meet this person somewhere during the Olympics?" Link asked to Mario and Sonic.

"No I doubt it. The only enemies we remember to come up with schemes is Dr. Eggman and Bowser," Mario replied.

"Don't forget Dry Bowser, Dr. Eggman Nega, and Rouge during that one winter Olympics. Other than them, I have no idea. We never heard of Senka until now," Sonic added.

"You know now that I think about it. Senka's voice sounded familiar to me as well, yet I don't remember either," Fox realized.

"Same here. But why?" Lucario thought out loud.

"If it was you four, maybe you heard that voice in reality Earth," Zelda said.

"That can't be right. We were transported to a quiet area. Almost nobody was around. We only met Arla. Unless-" Lucario stopped abruptly and his eyes widen. Sonic, Mario, Fox, and Arla had the same reaction.

"No, it can't be. We left her there. She said she would cover for Arla," Sonic said.

"What is it?" Marth asked.

"We think we know who Senka is," Fox said, worried for Arla's reaction.

"**No! That can't be. Julia would never join them." **Arla's fists were shaking in disbelief. Then she dropped her notebook and ran out of the door.

"Arla wait!" She couldn't hear Fox as she used her grapple to travel fast from the Mansion. "Dang it! Sonic, run after her. Watch her from a distance in case the Subspace Army finds her." Sonic nodded and sped on out as well. Snake grabbed her notebook and read the last response.

"Who's Julia?" Snake asked. Not everyone knew yet. Mario, Fox, and Lucario were about to tell them, but Meta Knight beat them to it.

"Arla told me about her before. She is Julia Nadika, her older sister."

"Yes, and that was her voice that we heard from Senka. We think the Subspace Army recruited her," Lucario said. Mario and Fox nodded. Everyone understood now.

"So the point of that last battle was to show off their new recruit?" Ike restated.

"Worse, they did it to throw off Arla. Her mind learned to stay focus in battle. Her training paid off to fight rivals and enemies. She never fought a friend like this."

"You think they knew Arla was going to react this way?" Pit wondered.

"If so, she's in danger right now." Lucario turned on his com that every Smasher has, and he contacted Sonic. "Sonic, did you find her yet."

"Yeah, but we got a problem. The Subspace Army ambushed us. We'll buy you some time, but not long. We headed North from the Mansion. Senka and Akidan are here too, and they're giving us a real workout. Woah! Wo-" The last thing Lucario saw from the com was a purple light, and the connection rendered dead.

"Sonic. Sonic!" He didn't get a response. "Let's move." Everyone ran out the door to find the hedgehog and assassin-ninja. "_If Senka really is Julia, then how did she get to the Smash World in the first place?" _Lucario thought as he raced out.


	10. Chapter 8: Family vs Friendship

**The Power of a Voice**

**Chapter 8: Family vs. Friendship**

*Sonic's POV*

I was following Arla just like Fox asked me to. I hid behind a tree as I saw her land. We figured that she wouldn't believe it. She just sat there on her knees. She must be thinking about something. I waited a few minutes to see if she would move, but not even an inch.

I was about to talk to her until I saw something in the sky. What the heck? There were two huge shadows in the sky. From the shape they looked like robots of some sort, that can't be good. When dealing with a robot, based on experience, it's never a good sign. They came falling down fast, really fast. I got a closer look, and I knew who they were. It was Galleom and Duon.

"_Crap!" _I thought. They were about to land directly on Arla. How can she not notice them? I came out of my hiding place.

"Arla, get out of the way!" She heard my call and was about to use her grapple again. But Galleom landed right in front of her. The wind from the impact blew her high in the air. I jumped up and caught her in time.

"You alright?" She nodded. She gently got out of my grasp and got ready for battle, and I did the same. I trashed robots before, so this should be a cinch for me. Arla though was a different story. She never fought something this big.

"You think you can manage?" She gave me another nod. We were about to fight until we saw a dark portal, and Senka and Akidan walked out. Akidan had her robe off. Arla was right, Akidan looks exactly like her but with bruises and scratches for some reason. This just got a lot harder.

"Alright change of plans. Arla, get those two, I'll deal with the bots." She looked at me with an uncertain look. "Don't worry, I've trashed tin cans before. I'll be able to help you in a blink of an eye," I said with a confident smile. Arla nodded once again and went to do her task.

"Ok you bucket of bolts, let's dance!"

I started off with a spin dash towards Duon, but he punched me with those drill hands of his and knocked me back. He turned around and fired missiles. I kept running to dodge them. Then, I heard my com beep. All Smashers were supposed to have one. I answered and Lucario was on the screen.

"Sonic, did you find her yet?" Lucario asked.

"Yeah, but we got a problem. The Subspace Army ambushed us. We'll buy you some time, but not long. We headed North from the Mansion. Senka and Akidan are here too, and they're giving us a real workout. Woah! Woah!" I saw a purple pulse coming at me, and it knocked me back. It scrambled my com as well, I won't be using that for a while.

I looked over at Arla. She was still fending off both of them well, but I don't know how long that will last. Gotta finish this soon. I turned my attention back to my battle. I saw a shadow looming over me, and it was Galleom trying to stomp on me. I moved out of the way in time and threw a couple of punches and kicks towards them.

More missiles were coming at me. I ran, but the missiles chased me down. I saw Galleom right in front of me with his fist back preparing to punch me. I went sharp to the left, and the missiles that chased me hit Galleom's fist, his arm blown off in the process.

That gave me an idea. I ran in front of Duon on his arm. He stared for a second, then I taunted at him several times. I could tell he got pissed off as he raced after me. I stopped right in front of Galleom. He raised his fist to squish me, yet I smirked as I jumped in the air. From the corner of my eye, I saw Duon with his drills spinning. I used my spring to jump higher and saw Duon's drill hand right through Galleom's center. Galleom shut down and fell over, thank god. One less robot I have to deal with.

I landed next to Arla. We were back to back with each other staring at our enemies. I decided to mix it up.

"Trade!" We both jumped to our new targets. Arla dealt with Duon while I fought Senka and Akidan.

"Wanna dance?" I said jokingly.

"You're not our type," Akidan said as Senka released a lightning blast from her sword.

I jumped to the side and spin dashed to Akidan. She blocked me with the sword. I jumped back and saw Senka preparing another sword pulse.

"Not this time!" I yelled as I rushed to the knight. I kicked the sword out of her hands and grabbed it. "Let's see what this sword can do." I tried activating the pulse move Senka uses, but nothing happens.

"Come on, work! Activate! Uh, abracadabra?" I tried making it glow, but nothing. The two ladies stared for a moment at my stupidity and began to laugh.

"You don't know the secret, do you? This is rich," Senka said. Her voice did sound like Julia's. She was about to deliver a kick, but I blocked her with her own sword. Akidan came at me with her sword, and we clashed multiple times. Good thing I remembered how to use a sword back in the storybook world. Senka then jumped in and was about to punch me. She missed me by a quill. I reacted with an uppercut that knocked off her helmet.

"Julia?!" I said in surprise. Senka is Julia. She has her same face, but her eyes weren't dark brown like the last time I saw her. Instead, she had dull gray eyes.

"Who?" She asked calmly. It must be the typical brainwashing trick.

I was so surprised by this discovery that I didn't notice Arla getting thrown towards me. We were both knocked down to the floor. Senka grabbed her sword and jumped back to Akidan. Duon had both his missile launching hands aimed at us one foot away. We were stuck. I knew that if we moved, even with my speed, Duon missiles will hit us head-on. I don't think Arla has the power to turn into a trophy yet, so she could die if Duon strikes this close. Then, Akidan began to clap.

"Well that was a fine show," she said laughing. I looked over to Arla to see her surprised look with tears in her eyes. I showed her a sympathetic look then glared back at Akidan who was still proud of our defeat. "Now, the bracelet." She stuck her hand out.

"You knew Arla would react this way," I said, continuing to glare at her.

"Yep, cool right?" She walked up to Arla to drag her away. I couldn't make any sudden movements or else Duon will shoot. Arla pulled out her sword to get out of her grip, but Akidan punched her, knocking her out. Her sword fell in front of me in reach, but I couldn't act yet. I need to stall.

"What's the point of dragging Julia into all this?" I asked hoping she would answer.

"I've been watching this kid for a while. I've noticed how you all warmed up her little heart. Maybe so much that she forgot all about her old life as well as her old friends." Akidan replied.

"But, Arla told us she didn't have any friends."

"She had one, right here." Akidan was referring to Senka, or Julia. Makes sense I guess. "Her sorrow of Arla 'abandoning' her grew, and I'm helping her get her revenge."

"That's a lie. Julia promised not to tell and Arla trusts her a lot. Meta Knight also told me that she gave Arla her sword despite it breaking their family tradition. She helped Arla the best she could. That proves their friendship."

"Perhaps, but in her heart was a slight bit of jealousy. To add to that fire, I added a tiny lie. 'Arla forgot all about you.' 'Do you really think she cares for you?'" I looked over to Julia. I could've sworn her eyes changed color for a second. I turned back to Akidan, telling me the lies she told Julia. She held Arla in her arms.

"What are you gonna do to her once you get the bracelet off her?" My glare changed to a worried face.

"Who said I was gonna take it off?" If they aren't taking it off, then they likely want Arla to join the Subspace Army.

"Yeah right. Arla would never join you creeps." Akidan only gave me a devilish smile. Then, she opened a portal. "Let's go." Julia nodded with a straight face. They were about to make their leave.

"Sonic!" We all looked up to see an Arwing. About time. It shot at Duon, knocking it back a few meters. The pilot ejected from their seat and landed. It was Falco.

"You should've told us how far you went. It took us half an hour to find you guys." Falco said while keeping an eye on Akidan. I must've lost track of the distance. I got back up and grabbed Arla's katana.

*3rd Person POV*

The rest of the Smashers arrived at the scene. Akidan growled in annoyance and glanced at Julia. She used a lightning attack and aimed at Galleom. The shot repaired the dead robot and revived it. Now both Galleom and Duon were ready to fight. Everyone saw Julia with her helmet off.

"So that's Arla's sister. I can see the resemblance," Pit said. They saw Arla knocked out in Akidan's arms, and she was about to make her leave.

"Oh no you don't," Fox said as he raced towards them, but Julia blocked his path and he stopped. "Come on Julia snap out of it! I don't want to fight you like this."

"Stop calling me that! My name is Senka!" she yelled out, frustrated. Lucario noticed the gray eyes and turned to Sonic.

"Brainwashed?"

"Pretty much," Sonic deadpanned. Julia left through the portal with Akidan.

"You're not getting away on my watch," Fox said as he jumped into the portal along with Samus, Wolf, Meta Knight, and Snake. It closed and the Smashers were left to face the two bosses.

Duon began to launch missiles once again. Kirby inhaled them and shot it back towards the machine. Duon the turned around and used his drill hands, but Ike and Marth blocked his attack. Diddy flew up with his rockets and fired several peanut shots. Then, a shadow loomed over them, and they see Galleom ready to stomp on then again. Ganondorf and Falcon punched him off course before he landed, and Bowser uppercutted Galleom in the place he was gonna land.

Galleom regained his composure and used his weight and his arms to create an earthquake. It knocked them back, but Pit flew down and took apart his bow. He gave the gray bot a few scratches with his blade. Then Duon came and punched him away. Link came into the scene next. He held his shield up, and he launched Mario up who jumped on his shield. Mario's fist was covered in flames and threw a fire punch at Duon.

Olimar commanded his Pikmin to attack Duon while Red summoned his Pokemon to attack Galleom. While the two robots were distracted, Sonic held Arla's blade with Lucario launching Aura Spheres at it.

"You sure this will work?" Lucario asked while still firing at the blade.

"If Arla can do it, so can we. It works somewhat differently then Julia's," Sonic replied.

"How so?"

"I grabbed Julia's sword when we fought. I tried to do what she did, but it didn't work for me. We can figure that out later, but for now, we'll do it the old fashion way." Soon the sword glowed a bright purple once again. "Okay, let's do it to it." They both rushed into the fight.

Eventually, the boss robot shook off the Pokemon and Pikmin. Pikachu was about to launch a thunder attack until Luigi stopped him.

"Pikachu don't. Senka revived Galleom with her lightning attack. Your attacks might make them stronger," Luigi explained.

"Pika pi," the little mouse said with a disappointing tone. He agreed and laid low in the fight. Then, both of them saw Sonic and Lucario running up with Arla's katana.

"Get out of the way!" Lucario yelled. Everyone saw the bright glow from Arla's katana and jumped out of it's reach.

"Here we go!" Sonic exclaimed as he collided the sword with the two bots. Another pulse came out and short-circuited the two robots, rendering them dead. They turned into Shadow Bugs and fled. "Wow! That felt intense!"

"So, what do we do now?" Zelda asked.

"We have no choice but to wait. Samus, Fox, Wolf, Meta Knight, and Snake went to wherever Senka and Akidan went. It's up to them to get Arla back," Link said. They returned to the Smash Mansion waiting for what will happen next.


	11. Chapter 9: Subspace Riot

**The Power of a Voice**

**Chapter 9: Subspace Riot**

*Fox's POV*

I began to stir awake and looked around. The place was as dark as Subspace, but the floor was white and shiny. I was almost blinded by it. Then, I heard groaning. I saw Meta Knight, Samus, Wolf, and Snake getting up as well. They must've followed me here, but wherever here is, I could tell isn't Subspace.

"Where are we? This doesn't look like Subspace," Samus said.

"Wherever we are doesn't matter right now. Our top priority is finding Arla before she falls to the Subspace Army," Snake said. We headed off into the black plain. Once we got deeper, buildings and streets began to form. People were also around, but they wandered like zombies.

"Hey! Oi! You know what's going on here?" Wolf said as he stood in front of one of them, but they went straight through him.

"This looks like the area I was in at Reality Earth," I stated.

"Do you think this is like Arla's mindscape?" Samus asked.

"This could also be Julia's mindscape, don't forget," Meta Knight said. "Fox, you said that Arla had a lonely life, but that does not mean that Julia had a lonely life."

"Oh yeah, you're right that makes sense why people are here." Suddenly, I was struck in the back with a fireball. I turned around to see Julia without her helmet on. Then, the people disappeared, but the buildings remained. We all got ready to face her.

"You should never have come here," she said with a stern voice with her sword ready.

Samus used her plasma whip to grab the sword out of Julia's hands. It worked as Meta Knight caught it. He attempted to activate a sword pulse with it, but nothing happens. Julia smirked.

"Heh, you're just as stupid as the hedgehog. No one knows its secret but me, and I intend to keep it that way," Julia said. She took out two metal fans and threw them at Meta Knight. He dodged the first one, but the second one knocked the sword out of his hands. Wolf slid down and picked it up and sheathed it at his belt.

"Where did you get those fans?" Meta Knight asked.

"Where do you think, from her," she replied referring to Arla.

"Where is she?" Samus said as she was shooting her.

"Like I'd tell." Julia dodged all the shots. "Probably having the time of her painful life." She rushed towards Wolf to get her katana back, but I elbowed her away.

When she landed she looked down and saw a bomb under her. Snake pressed the button to activate it, but Julia rolled away in time. Meta Knight attacked her with his fast swords swings and launched her toward me. I kicked her towards Wolf, he used his own illusion trick to claw her down to the ground. She got up, but she looked content with herself. Then she held up her sword. Wolf saw this and looked down at his belt to find it gone.

"Aren't you the clever thief," Wolf growled. She used a gravity attack to launch his towards Snake who was about to have a turn. He jumped over Wolf as he fell and went hand-to-hand with Julia.

"Fight like a man already," Snake commented.

"Well, I ain't a man am I? I'm a woman," she answered back as she blocked all of Snake's punches and kicks with her sword. As he was about to deliver a kick to her head, Julia froze the ground from under him, making him fall. Samus threw a kick of her own, but Julia got out of the way in time to see the bounty hunter accidentally hit Snake who got back up.

"Sorry," Samus said. Snake gave her a weak thumbs up to show that he was decently fine. Then, they were hit by a pulse attack, which launched them up high. Meta Knight flew up and caught them in time. But he wasn't quick enough to dodge the lightning attack coming up. I threw my reflector towards them, which rebounded the lightning back to Julia, but she took out the metal fans again and stored the electricity. She threw the fans towards them and struck them down. They landed hard on the ground and we all regrouped.

"With that sword, we can't get near her without her letting us or without her releasing sword pulses," Wolf analyzed in annoyance.

"We already tried taking her sword away, but she always finds a way to get it back," I said.

"I might have an idea. Samus with me. Wolf, Meta Knight, Fox, try to distract her. After a few minutes, Meta Knight fly up, you'll figure it out after that," Snake said. We all nodded and split into our two groups.

"What are you up to?" Julia said suspiciously. I used my illusion trick to get to her, but she jumped up at the last second. Wolf also used his illusion trick immediately after but upwards and kicked her down. Then, Meta Knight clashed swords with her quickly. He used his drill attack and threw her to me. I fired myself up and launched to her. She flipped back and landed standing up. She charged up a fire beam at all three of us. Wolf and I rolled out of the way in time while Meta Knight flew up.

When he flew high enough he looked at a certain direction and nodded. I was distracted by what he was looking at that I didn't see Julia coming at me as she kicked me high into the air. Meta Knight was able to catch me in the air.

"Lure her into the ring," Meta Knight whispered. He pointed to what he was looking at. I saw Snake pointing at a wide circle of bombs he secretly planted. I nodded as Meta Knight dropped me.

I saw Wolf fending off against Julia's barrage of sword swings. He had his arms up in an X shape, sliding back with every hit. He was close to the ring as I came in. I jumped up to throw a kick to her head. Wolf saw this and quickly ducked. Julia was confused as she turned around. Once I kicked her, she stumbled backward and tripped on Wolf, who remained in his crouched position. She fell directly in the ring. We all jumped back towards Snake. As Julia got back up, Snake activated the bombs, but instead of explosions smoke came out, blinding her.

"Samus now!" Snake exclaimed. I saw her on one of the building ledges with her Power Suit on as well as a rainbow aura around her.

"ZERO LASER!" Samus yelled as she fired. A huge laser hit Julia hard and flung her to a wall. Once the attack stopped, Julia fell to the ground knocked out.

Samus jumped down, and we all gave each other a high five, even Wolf. Never thought I'd do that, but I was too exhausted to care.

"That should do the trick," Samus said while breathing heavily.

"You think that snapped her out?" I asked.

"Only one way to find out," Meta Knight said as he pointed to the knight as she slowly got up. We all got ready just in case. When I saw her eyes, they were dark brown again. She looked at us surprised and scooted back to the wall she crashed into.

"Smash Brothers?! What are you doing here?! What am I doing here?!" she said panicking. She looked around confused, and then she gripped her head and looked down. "And what am I wearing?!"

"Are you back to your senses?" Wolf questioned.

"If you mean me doing what I don't remember doing then yes. Just give me a sec," she said. I held my hand out to help her up, and she obliged.

"Now, what do you remember?" I asked calmly.

"I remember you, Sonic, Mario, and Lucario leaving with Arla. I went back to homework for a bit until my parents got home to explain everything. Then, there was a knock at my door. When I answered, it was Arla, but she was injured all over. I took her back inside and laid her on the couch. I went to get medicine, but once I turned around, I saw her standing in front of me with a creepy smile. Then… she knocked me out." Her eyes widen. "Why would she do that?"

"That person you took in was Arla's look alike, Akidan. You were fooled by her," Meta Knight explained.

"Akidan? Isn't that my last name spelled backward?"

"I know right? Glad to see I'm not the only observant person here!" Wolf said. The rest of us glared at him.

'"Anyway, anything else you remember?" Snake asked, ignoring Wolf's comment.

"Well, I did remember waking up in a purple bubble, and I saw someone with a black robe with a hood draped over them. They told me about how Arla 'betrayed' me, or how she'd rather be with you guys over me. They offered me a place in their ranks, but I refused since I knew what they said were lies. Next thing I knew was that I felt a lot of pain as electricity was produced in the bubble, and I blacked out."

"That must be when Akidan took control of you and turned you into Senka," Meta Knight said.

"Senka, that's an odd name."

"Arla can't wait to see you again," Samus added.

"Arla, is she fine?"

"We don't know. She was taken by the Subspace Army. We appeared here when we jumped through Akidan's portal," I explained.

"Where is Akidan anyway? I thought she would likely be here with you," Wolf said.

"Oh, I'm here." We all heard Akidan's voice and looked around to try and find her. Then, our bodies started to fade away.

"What the hell?!" Snake said as he began to disappear like the rest of us. The last thing I saw was the buildings and my allies fading away until everything went black.

*3rd Person POV*

As the Smashers woke up, they began to look around to see they were all in Subspace. They tried to get up but couldn't. They looked down and found themselves strapped onto metal tables with metal cuffs restraining their wrists and ankles.

"What's going on?" Meta Knight said as he tried to get out of his cuffs. "Weren't we just in that other world?"

"It was all a simulation." The Smashers turned to see Akidan again. Behind her was Arla on her knees, blindfolded, struggling with the handcuffs on her ankles and wrists behind her back. "You were here all along ever since I knocked you out."

"Wait, what?" the Smashers asked in unison.

"You don't remember? He did tell me that knockout gas did have some side effects. Oh well," Akidan said. "When you came through my portal, my boss found out and used that knockout gas."

"Who's your boss?" Fox said glaring at her.

"That would be me." Everyone turned to see a blue man with rainbow wings, Tabuu.

"YOU!" the Smashers shouted.

"Surprise! Ha! Ha! Ha!" he laughed.

"You were supposed to be dead!" Samus exclaimed.

"Well, I'm still technically dead and restrained in this place," the Smashers looked at him confused. "In fact, I was dead when we first met. I couldn't escape this place in my condition, so instead of trying to get out. I would bring the world in."

"So you used the Subspace Bombs to gather different landmarks of the Smash World and bring them here. Thus, creating the Great Maze," Snake clarified.

"Precisely, but you assholes, of course, ruined my plans. So instead, I'll go back to my first plan, getting out."

"Well, it didn't work before. What makes you think you can escape now?" Wolf challenged.

"Simple, using hosts. It almost worked when I had Master Hand under my control, but his power wasn't enough with all the Subspace Bombs he produced."

"He produced the bombs?!" Fox asked surprised.

"Yep, but it cost him a lot of power. So, I couldn't escape with what he had, but I know what can." He pointed straight to Arla.

"The Smash Bracelet."

"You bet. MH said it has the ability to travel through worlds," Akidan explained.

"And with such power, I can be real again and cross into the Smash World and more!" Tabuu finished triumphantly.

"We won't let you take it, and you can't have it," Samus said.

"But I can have a host." He looked at Arla, and the Smashers knew what would happen as they once again tried to get out of their restraints.

"We won't let you take her!" Fox yelled.

"I beg to differ. Akidan just dispose of them properly this time. Not with some mind simulation."

"Fine, I was just having fun," Akidan replied. Tabuu disappeared, leaving Akidan with the captive Smashers. "Oh well, let's get this over with. Your trophy forms can't save you. Tabuu made sure that no one can revert to a trophy." She summoned a golden blade, ready to kill them on the spot.

"Wow, I'm hurt. You forgot all about me," a sarcastic voice was heard. Akidan turned around to get hit in the head with the handle of a sword, knocking her out. The Smashers looked to see Julia with the sword she was provided, and her armor was off. Julia wore a black vest with a gray T-shirt under it, navy torn shorts that went to her knees, black tennis shoes with gray straps, and one black fingerless glove on her right hand with a thick black bracelet with silver linings on her left wrist. The scabbard of the copy katana was on her back.

"What took you so long?" Wolf said as he glared.

"Did you want me to get caught by Tabuu. Anyway, let's get moving." Julia walked towards the console that controlled their cuffs. She hit the release button and the metal cuffs on the table as well as Arla's handcuffs were opened. The Smashers got off the metal tables, and Arla removed her blindfold. When Arla saw her sister in her normal clothing, she smiled and ran to her, hugging her tightly.

"I must have missed a lot, haven't I?" Julia asked as she hugged Arla back. "Arla never reacts like this, or at all in fact."

"Yeah, you did miss some stuff. Let's get out of here before Sleeping Beauty wakes up," Snake said referring to Akidan. As they left, Snake remembered something. "Oh, and Arla. I believe this is yours." He took out Arla's notebook and handed it to her. She bowed to say thanks, and they joined the others. Once they left, Akidan began to stir.

"Twice. I've been knocked out TWICE!" she yelled in frustration. She turned to the empty tables with no one on them. "Tabuu's gonna kill me," she muttered as she raced after them.

Once the Smashers got far away enough into a quiet area, they tried to figure out a way to get out of Subspace.

"Akidan opened a portal to get into Subspace, so we might need a portal to get us out," Meta Knight explained.

"How? Isn't Akidan the only one that can use portals?" Julia asked.

"No, Arla can as well," Fox said, as he pointed at her. "MH said that the Smash Bracelet also has the power to travel to any of the other Smashers' worlds. That also means a portal back to the Smash World. Try concentrating to create a portal back to the Smash Mansion." Arla nodded and closed her eyes. After that, a portal was summoned, but it was light blue instead of black. They were about to walk into it until a shot whizzed pass their heads. They turned around to see Akidan holding a gun right at them.

"You ain't going anywhere," she said as she ran towards them.

"Go! Go! Go!" Julia yelled as the four Smashers jumped in first. The two sisters also ran, but Akidan jumped up, preparing to slice Julia, who didn't pay attention to her, with her golden blade. Arla noticed this and pushed Julia out of the way and into the portal.

"Arla!" Julia called before disappearing into the portal.

*Smash Mansion*

The Smashers at the mansion were still trying to find their missing friends. Falco searched over the area with his Arwing, and Red did the same thing while riding on Charizard. They returned inside the mansion, greeted by the rest of the Smashers.

"Any luck?" Marth asked. They both shook their heads. They turned to see Lucario, who was using his aura to locate them, his aura burning around his bright than usual. "What about you Lucario?"

"I got nothing, my apologies," he said in a sad tone.

"Don't be. It's my fault. I should've acted instead of watching as she got taken," Sonic said in despair.

"Quit your sad talk. You did what you could to not get her killed, which means she has a better chance of coming out of this alive," Ganondorf explained.

"Wow, that is THE nicest thing you said to anyone here." Ganondorf simply grunted in response. Then, everyone saw a light blue portal appear.

"That's the power of the Smash Bracelet. They must've found her," Master Hand said. Samus, Meta Knight, Wolf, Snake, Fox, and Julia jumped out of the portal and landed on the ground.

"We did it. We're back!" Fox exclaimed as he got back up looked around, but then he noticed someone missing. "Where's Arla?"

"She was with us when we escaped," Meta Knight stated, looking around as well. Then, Julia quickly got up and ran back to the portal.

"Arla? No! No! No!" she yelled as she ran back and tried to jump into the portal, but her efforts were in vain as it collapsed in on itself and disappeared. Julia landed face first on the ground, and she got back up, staring at where the portal was with wide eyes.

"What happened?" Snake questioned. Julia turned to the Smashers with her head down.

"Akidan happened," she replied.

*Subspace, Arla's POV*

I was able to get Julia to safety, but I instinctively shot my grapple to a direction away from the portal. As long as I got away though, I felt content. When Akidan's blade hit the ground, the impact was so huge that it made the portal collapse in on itself. I was about to fight, reaching back to grab my katana, but it wasn't there.

"**I must've dropped it when Akidan knocked me out earlier. Great, I only have my grapple to fight with. I need to get out of here."** I tried to conjure up another portal, but Akidan's constant attacks aren't helping me concentrate. So instead, I only thought of a portal that could get me out of here.

"**Come on make a portal. Just make a portal. I don't care where at this point, just somewhere safe." **I thought desperately. I saw Akidan, and she looked like she was getting ready to slice my head off. I started to panic until a light blue portal appeared under me. I fell straight in, and it immediately closed after that. Akidan saw the portal disappear, and she screamed in frustration of her failure.

*?*

I opened my eyes to find myself free falling, and I hit a bunch of tree branches. I shot my grapple in a random direction, hoping it would grab onto something. It did, but it launched me fast into an opening. My grapple released, and I hit something hard and shiny. My vision blurred as I only saw a green glow. The last thing I saw was six figures approaching me of different colors, and then I blacked out.

A/N: I know. I know. It's weird to have a super short chapter, then a really long one afterward. The ideas just kept flowing for this one. I know how cliche it is to have Tabuu as the main villain again, but having Akidan as the main villain just feels wrong at this point. Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed.

Next time, Arla explores part of one of the Smashers' worlds, and sadly, I think it's the only world I know by heart, sort of. The Subspace Army will be after her once again, but neither the army or the Smashers know where she is yet. Will Akidan grab her in that world first, or will Julia and the Smashers be able to reach her in time?


	12. Chapter 10: A World of Chaos

**The Power of a Voice**

**Chapter 10: A World of Chaos**

*Smash Mansion, 3rd Person POV*

The five Smashers that were in Subspace explained to everyone else what happened as well as figuring out that Akidan worked for Tabuu, who was behind the attacks, again. Julia also told them what happened right before the portal disappeared.

"So he's the one behind this? Seriously, I thought we killed the dude," Falco said.

"We did, but he will always resurrect until we find a way to either destroy Subspace entirely or get rid of the source keeping him alive. We may have destroyed the usual gateways, but he can still find a way to get to our world and send his forces," Samus explained.

"And you said Arla is still in Subspace?" Zelda asked Julia.

"Yeah, she pushed me into the portal before Akidan had the chance to chop me in two. She's likely fighting her right now," Julia replied.

"Can't she just conjure up another portal though?" Ness asked.

"Well you need a lot of concentration to create another portal in an exact place," MH said.

"And if they're still fighting, I'm guessing Akidan won't let Arla catch a break," Julia added.

"I can sense the bracelet when the host opens up a portal, but I won't know where. Apparently, she already used it twice," MH stated. This caught the Smashers attention.

"She created a portal before?" Link asked.

"Not before, after. A minute after that other portal vanished, I felt another energy spike, which means she used another portal to escape."

"But if she's not here, where is she? I already rescanned the area with my aura again, but I still can't find her," Lucario said.

"If not in the Smash World, then in one of your own."

"Maybe she went back to Reality Earth on accident," Toon Link suggested.

"No, I never put Reality Earth as a world to travel into for the bracelet. So that means she's somewhere else, and she likely teleported somewhere safe." The Smashers stopped to think about where she could have teleported to. It could be the Hyrule, Dreamland, Mute City, any of them. Then Mario thought of something.

"What if it was a world she already knew?" Mario said.

"What do you mean? She has never been to any of our worlds before," Falcon said.

"But maybe she has seen them through our video games." The red plumber turned to Julia. "Julia, how many video games do you have of us?"

"A lot, at least one game each of all of your series." She replied.

"Stalker," Dedede muttered.

"Shut up, I didn't know you guys existed before. That was me just having fun. Anyway, I do a lot of gaming, but Arla doesn't. So I can't help you there."

"True, but has she watched you play before?" Mario said.

"Yeah, a couple of times. Oh, now I get it! She needs to get a picture in her head to teleport there."

"And with those in her memory, she is likely to travel there. of course!" Peach finished. "Where do you think she would go?" Julia began to think of the settings she saw.

"Well, there is one place I know she was very interested in."

*Mobius, Arla's POV*

I was starting to wake up, and I found myself on some shrine. I set myself up and saw that I was wrapped in small bandages again from my fall. I looked around to find a glowing giant emerald right beside me.

"Oh, you're up," I jumped as I heard a cheerful voice. I saw a pink hedgehog with a red dress sitting beside me. "That was some fall you had there."

"**Fall?"** I thought. That's right, I was falling when I escaped Subspace. I looked at her and nodded as I remembered, and she smiled back.

"Is she up yet?" I heard another voice as I saw three more people come up. One was a yellow fox with two tails, another was a black and red hedgehog that showed some resemblance to Sonic, and a red thing that has huge fists.

I tried to stand up, but I felt a shocking pain on my left ankle. I fell over without knowing that I was at the ledge of some steps. I almost stumbled down, until I was surrounded by a cyan-blue glow.

"Woah, easy there." I looked over to see two more people. One was a purple cat, and the other was a white hedgehog surrounded by a cyan glow too. I figured he must've caught me. He put me down, and I quickly sat down on the ledge. The yellow fox came up to me and pressed his hand on my ankle. I flinched as I felt the pain again.

"You must have sprained your ankle, but it should heal up in the next couple of hours," he responded. I gave him a nod.

"Oh, where are our manners? We didn't introduce ourselves yet. Hi, I'm Amy Rose," the pink hedgehog said as she curtsied. Everyone else introduced themselves too.

"Miles Prower, but everyone calls me Tails."

"Knuckles the Echidna."

"Silver the Hedgehog."

"Blaze the Cat."

"Shadow."

I waved at all of them. Then, I took out my notebook to say my name.

"**Arla Nadika. Sorry, I'll be writing on paper the whole time since I can't speak."**

"Anyways, you came here for a reason, now spill," Shadow demanded. I can tell he's not the friendly type.

"Shadow don't be rude. She's still recovering," Blaze said as she glared at the black hedgehog. He shrugged it off. For about half an hour, I was writing down, explaining what was going on with the Subspace Army and the Smash Brothers.

"So the Subspace Army plans to take over our world and others as well," Tails clarified. I nodded.

"And you and the Smash Brothers need to keep that bracelet on you safe from them so this Tabuu person doesn't get out of his prison?" Amy added. I nodded again.

"And that Smash Bracelet also has the powers of the Smash Brothers' individual powers and the power to travel between their worlds and ours, and you can't take it off?" Silver reiterated. I gave the same response.

"**That's the gist of it," **I wrote down.

"Then why are you here?" Shadow questioned.

"**I recently escaped from Subspace by going through a portal I made, but it was out of instinct. I just thought of the first world that came in my head, and that was your world." **I explained on paper. "**And now I need to get back before they find me here and endanger your world." **I was about to get back up until I felt the weight on my ankle. I forgot it was sprained, and I sat back down.

"Not with that sprained ankle. You need to rest until that's healed. Unless you can heal yourself," Knuckles said. Then I facepalmed myself. I remembered that I can use a healing ability one of the Smashers can use. I summoned some of the fruit from Peach's Final Smash, Peach Blossom, and ate it. I stood up again to find my ankle all better.

"Well, that sure did it," Knuckles stated.

"**I guess I'll be off now. Bye guys!" **I walked down the shrine until someone called me.

"Hey, Arla, why don't you stay awhile? You said that the Subspace Army is after you, so they might expect you back at the Smash World. I mean what are the odds of them finding you in one of the Smashers' worlds when there are several worlds they need to look through," Amy said.

"**But they'll find me eventually regardless of how long it'll take. It might be a few hours until they find me."**

"So? A few hours wouldn't hurt. Besides, we'll be ready to take them down when they do get here." The other Mobians nodded.

"**I don't want to put your world in danger."**

"It's fine. Danger finds us anyways, and we always stop it," Silver said. "You might as well take a breather anyway so you'll be ready." He has a point. They will find me, but I can use this time to relax for a bit before things happen again. I was going to respond in my notebook until I saw that I was out of paper, front and back. Tails noticed this.

"Maybe I can make something better for you so you don't have to write. It'll only take a few minutes," he said, somewhat excited. "I haven't built anything in a while anyway." I hesitated for a moment. I didn't want him to work too hard for a complete stranger, but he looked very eager to do it. I slowly nodded.

"Great. I'll just fly over to my workshop, then come back."

"You'll have to find us first. We're gonna go shopping! Let's go ladies! You boys are coming along too," Amy said cheerfully. Both Blaze and I were frantically waving our hand in front trying to say 'no thanks', but Amy grabbed our wrists and dragged us to Tails' plane, the X Tornado. Shadow, Knuckles, and Silver all looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders and just went along with it.

"**She's almost like Princess Peach." **I thought. As the plane took off, I held on for my dear life as I held onto the wing.

*Angel Island, 3rd Person POV*

Another portal opened a couple of hours later after Arla and the Mobians left. The Smashers jumped out of it and saw that they were on Angel Island.

"You sure she's here?" Ness asked.

"Positive. She always liked this world, especially Angel Island," Julia replied.

"Maybe my friends know where she is," Sonic said as he got it touch with Tails. The fox's face was shown on the screen. "Yo Tails, have you seen a girl with black clothing with an empty scabbard on her back and is also mute?"

"You mean Arla? Yeah, I dropped her off at the mall with Amy, Blaze, Silver, Knuckles, and Shadow. I'm at my workshop right now to make a new translator for her. Let me guess, this is about that Subspace Army you told us about before," Tails replied.

"Yeah, exactly. Did she tell you about that?"

"Yep, I'm heading over to them now."

"Alright, we'll get over there then, later." Sonic shut off his communicator and turned to Lucario. "Can you find her?"

"No problem," Lucario said with a smirk as he began to use his aura.

"Well there's another problem we have to worry about also," Mario said.

"And that is?"

"How do we all get down from here?" Mario was looking down at the view from Angel Island. Many of the other Smashers looked down and saw their situation.

"We also didn't bring our ships, and only three of us have wings," Samus said, referring to Meta Knight, Pit, and Charizard.

"Looks like we're carrying people down," Pit said with a bit of annoyance.

"This is gonna be a while," Meta Knight muttered as he grabbed Lucas and Red first and brought them down.

*Station Square Mall*

"(Growl) Women." Shadow, Knuckles, and Silver said in unison, annoyed as they were carrying two bags each filled with clothes, mostly for Amy. Amy, Blaze, and Arla came out wearing new clothes. Amy wore a hot pink shirt with a blue jacket as well as a white skirt and a gold headband. Blaze wore a blue shirt with a black jacket, dark brown pants, and black fingerless gloves with yellow stripes. She was used to Amy picking clothes for her, so she still remained calm. Arla came out wearing a silver turtle-neck shirt with a black short-sleeved hoodie, dark gray yoga shorts, and the same fingerless gloves she had. She also kept her empty scabbard. She looked down in embarrassment, for she didn't know how the others would react.

"I think that's enough shopping for today," Amy said. Blaze and Arla quietly sighed in relief.

"Thank god," the Mobian boys said as they dropped all of Amy's bags.

"Hey, my clothes."

"Come on Amy. They've done it long enough," Blaze said as she went to pick up some of the bags. Arla nodded in agreement as she also helps get some stuff. Then, Tails arrived.

"Hey guys, I'm back. Here Arla, this should help you so that you don't have to write. Typing is a lot faster." Tails handed Arla a bracelet that had a mini keyboard like on a computer. She put it on her left wrist beside the Smash Bracelet. She saw a red button on it and decided to push it. A holographic screen appeared.

"That's what people will see when you type stuff up. You won't have to worry about running out of space. It'll automatically delete you know you're done typing." he explained.

"**Thanks," **Arla typed down.

"Also, Sonic called earlier. He and the other Smashers are here to find you Arla. We should wait here," Tails said. I nodded. It was peaceful for a couple of minutes until a bright blue ball went straight towards Arla.

"Look out!" Shadow yelled as he tackled Arla out of the way. They both got up to see the flying green Pokemon, Rayquaza. Riding on his back was Akidan.

"You never give up do you," Akidan said with a glare. With a snap of her fingers, Shadow Bugs appeared, forming more Primids. The Mobians all got ready for battle.

"Who is she? She looks exactly like you," Knuckles said.

"**That's Akidan, my look-alike and the general of the Subspace Army. She's the one after me," **I typed down.

"You're damn right I'm after you. Tabuu will have my head if he finds you missing," Akidan said in anger as the Subspace Army began its attack once more.

A/N: I know what you're thinking.

"**Where were you for the past week?!" **

Long story short, my family and I went on a cruise. No Wifi was there, so I couldn't update. I'm back now. But updates will be a bit slower now because I'm running dry on ideas, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up.


	13. Chapter 11: The Chaos in Battle

**The Power of a Voice**

**Chapter 11: The Chaos in Battle**

*Mobius*

Once all the Smashers came down from Angel Island. Sonic leads them to where his friends were meeting at. While traveling on foot, Julia was conversing with some of the Smashers about how she came into the Smash World.

"So basically, you were abducted from your home by Akidan," Mario said.

"Pretty much. Once Arla and I get home, we're going to get an earful from my parents. Mainly I'll get in trouble though since I'm the one having to explain it all. They'll probably ground me for a month," Julia responded.

"Akidan said you did have a slight bit of jealousy in your heart for Arla. Is that true?" Sonic asked curiously.

"Um, yes," she said quietly, but the Smashers were able to hear it. "But at the same time, I don't think I have the right to be jealous.

"Why's that?" Samus said, confused.

"Arla lived a life that she was basically forced into, alone and dull. Then there's me, most things in my life go the way I want it, having friends, expressing who I am, and feeling excited for the next thing to come. I have a life that any normal person could want, but she didn't. Then, she was taken to life even more fun than mine. That did make me envy her. But I already have what I want, so it isn't any fair to hate her for finally getting what she wanted, you know."

"Can't you just say how Arla feels on her behalf?"

"You don't think I've tried that? They didn't believe me. They thought they knew everything. The old 'mother knows best' cliche."

"If you wanted the same fighting life many of us had, why didn't you accept Akidan's offer to join their ranks willingly to have that adventure?" Falcon wondered.

"There's a motto I say to myself when given a gift like that. 'That's the easy way out.'"

"What a mature choice. Wait, now I'm curious. How old are you?" Ness asked.

"I'm 20."

"And you still live with your parents?" Wolf said.

"I stay there because my parents constantly ask me to watch over Arla to make sure she's alright since, you know, she's mute. That reminds me. How come she hasn't come home yet? I thought you only need her to bring back the Smash Bracelet for you guys."

"Well apparently, Master Hand said that it can't be taken off of her, so he's having her stay with us until he gets it off," Marth explained.

"He also wants us to protect her from the Subspace Army. But honestly, I think she knows how to defend herself well," Samus added.

"Yeah, especially with that cool sword she has that can release those pulses," Toon Link said excitedly.

"Speaking of," Sonic said as he pulled out the katana from his quills. "This is yours."

"Thanks. Wait, I thought this one was mine," Arla said. She pulled out the replica sword.

"That one's a copy, but it has more upgrades. It has elemental attacks and the same pulses that your real sword can use, but the pulses can be charged without having to absorb attacks," Mario explained.

"We also wanted to figure out how that sword does it," Link said.

"Ok, let's see then." Julia closed concentrated on the sword to try and make it glow. Then it slowly lit up into a purple glow again. "Like this?"

"Yeah, how did you do it?" Ness demanded.

"It feels like it's using my own life energy to charge it. I feel a bit tired, but not too much. I wonder." Julia grabbed her real sword from Sonic and tried to make it glow also. It started to glow as well. The Smashers were surprised.

"So the secret is by using your own energy in your body," Marth analyzed. "Can it do all the other attacks?" Julia tried to concentrate on a gravity attack with the real one. Once she felt it ready, she swung her sword to see if something would move. The attack accidentally grabbed Ganondorf and flung him into a nearby tree.

"What the hell was that for?" Ganondorf said, obviously pissed off.

"Whoops, my bad," Julia said, slightly embarrassed.

"At least we know your real sword has the same powers," Toon Link said.

"With that figured out, once we find Arla, you can try to teach her how to master that blade and its secrets. And with that, we could have a better chance of destroying the Subspace Army," Fox said with confidence.

"Well, I just learned all this too. I didn't know it even had any secrets until just now. But I'll try. I also want to ask you if you guys could teach me how to fight. Just because Arla took martial arts doesn't mean I have. I'm a bit more inexperienced than she is when it comes to this stuff," Julia said. The Smashers nodded and continued to walk.

"Sonic, how much further?" Lucas asked.

"It should be right around the corner here and-" Sonic was interrupted when they suddenly heard explosions. They ran faster and reached the entrance of the Station Square Mall. They heard another explosion and saw Knuckles flying out. Pit flew up and caught him in time.

"Thanks, dude. You guys are the Smashers right?" Knuckles said.

"Anytime, and yes, we're here to help. What happened?" Pit asked.

"Well, that Subspace Army is attacking, trying to get to Arla. She's alright for now."

"Of course they're after her," Falco muttered. "Did you see someone that looked just like Arla?"

"Yeah, I think her name is Akidan. A bunch of dark orbs also came in, turning into some robots."

"Primids," the Smashers deadpanned.

"Three more giant creatures are in there, the best way to describe them. One looked like a flying green serpent. Another looked like a giant Piranha Plant. And the third one, the one that launched me out here, was-" Knuckles was interrupted when he heard a loud roar. A dragon with a metal body came flying out and up. "It looked like that."

"Meta Ridley," Samus growled as she activated her suit.

"Heel boy, heel!" Silver yelled as he used his psychokinesis to fly up to Ridley. Silver grabbed the dragon's tail and swung him back down to the ground, following in pursuit.

"Let's-a go," Mario said as they all raced inside. They saw the entire mall a wreck. The roof was pretty much roofless. Arla, using a transparent Master Sword, and Amy were battling Petey Piranha, Tails were fighting Rayquaza, Shadow was against Akidan, Blaze was taking care of the Primids, and Ridley was pinning down Silver. Samus fired her arm cannon at the space pirate and knocked him off of them.

"Glad you came. We got work to do," Silver said, and Arla gave a wave to the group before running back to assist Amy. Many of the Smashers dealt with the Primids, and some of them went to assist the Mobians.

"Arla!" Amy and Arla saw Julia with her sword charged up. She came in contact with Petey Piranha and another sword beam pulse launched him back. "Hey there. Love the new outfits."

"Why thank you!" Amy said cheerfully. Arla came up to her sister and gave her another hug.

"Use this." Julia gave Arla the real katana back as well as her metal fans. Arla began to type down.

"**Are you sure I should grab your sword? It is yours. Shouldn't I get the copy?"**

"Nope, because 1. I got comfortable with it, and 2. they work the same way regardless. Just use your own energy, and you'll be able to use the same powers the replica sword has." Arla gave Julia a nod for understanding and both fought with Amy against Petey P. as he got back up again.

As Petey Piranha approached, he saw shot by multiple peanuts from Diddy Kong and lasers by Fox. Peach threw turnips at the giant plant, and Zelda used Nayru's Love.

"Round two you overgrown weed!" Peach yelled.

Petey P. began swinging the cages on his hand. Zelda teleported out of the way, and Peach would've been hit if it wasn't for Amy blocking a cage with her hammer. Amy and Peach gave each other a smile and went back to their task.

Tails was trying to outfly Rayquaza while dodging his lasers. One laser hit Tails from behind, and Rayquaza grabbed him in his claws. He was slowly getting squeezed until a quick slash from Meta Knight freed him. Red caught Tails on Charizard. They both nodded and Tails began to fly again.

Pit joined their fight as well as he blocked an attack from Rayquaza. In the air, they quickly intercepting each other with quick attacks. He soon got out of the routine and began firing arrows, but the Pokemon outmaneuvered all of them. Rayquaza fired a blue ball of electricity toward the Angel, but Charizard countered it with his fire. Then, Rayquaza dug underground. The ground started to move again right under Meta Knight.

"Move!" Tails yelled. Meta Knight saw what he meant and followed. Tails shot it with his energy cannon, and Meta Knight sliced the serpent a couple of times as it came out of the ground.

Samus was in rage as she was fighting against Meta Ridley along with Silver, Falcon, Link, Marth, and Ike. Silver noticed it well.

"What's up with her?" Silver asked.

"I can't say. All I can tell you is that Ridley affected her life deeply," Falcon replied.

"Oh, it's personal. Got it." They saw Ridley ready to fly up again. Silver was about to use his powers again, but Ridley swatted him away with his tail, continuing his ascent. But, Link stopped him by grabbing the tail with his clawshot. Marth and Ike saw this chance to jump up and attack his wings, and they were able to slice them up a bit. Ridley had no choice but to land. He was now grounded, but that didn't mean he still couldn't fight with his wings.

Ridley swatted both swordsmen away. Falcon came in and delivered a Falcon Kick, throwing Ridley towards Silver. The white hedgehog grabbed some debris with his powers and used it to pin down Ridley at the tail and wings.

"He's mine!" Samus yelled as she ferociously attacked the space pirate pinned down. Silver, Falcon, Marth, Link, and Ike simply watched.

"Backing off," the five said in unison.

Shadow was constantly throwing Chaos Spears and Akidan, but she kept blocking all of them with her sword. While Akidan was in the air, Shadow teleported behind her and kicked her to the ground. Before she touched it, the black and red hedgehog teleported again and side kicked her to the wall.

She grabbed her gun and shot at Shadow. He managed to dodge all the bullets but didn't notice Akidan coming toward him. She slashed across his chest, launching him towards a wall. Akidan was about to strike again until an Aura Sphere hit her at the side, followed by a hit of a hammer by Mario as well as a Spin Dash by Sonic. Shadow got up to find the three Smashers by his side.

"I was handling it just fine," Shadow said sternly.

"Yeah, getting yourself launched into a wall was totally part of your plan," Sonic said sarcastically. Shadow glared at him. "Besides, we have some unfinished business with her."

Akidan began shooting at them, but Mario knocked the bullets away with his hammer. Lucario began to approach her from above, ready to deliver a down kick. She blocked him in time with her golden blade and swung her sword to push the Aura Pokemon back. Sonic and Shadow ran towards Akidan next. Sonic throwing a punch, and Shadow with a kick. She caught both of their hits, and she grabbed Sonic's wrist and tossed him back while going hand-to-hand with Shadow. Then, Shadow swept Akidan's legs from under her, but she caught herself on her hands and jumped back a certain distance to see the entire battlefield.

Petey Piranha was on the ground exhausted, Rayquaza was pinned down by the Smashers fighting it, Ridley was pretty much scrap metal thanks to Samus' barrage of attacks, and Blaze and the Smashers thinned out 90% of the Primids.

"_I don't have much time. Need to get to her fast," _Akidan thought. She saw Arla near Petey P. and was about to launch towards her, but Mario and Lucario were able to tackle her down in time.

"Let go!" she yelled.

"You have some explaining to do," Mario said sternly. Before the plumber could ask anything, Akidan summoned a portal underneath herself. Another one opened up on the higher ground. Akidan sent a glare at them before raising her sword high, and then everything stopped. The Subspace Army remained frozen until they turned into Shadow Bugs again, including Petey P., Ridley, and Rayquaza, and gathered at the center of the battlefield as a Shadow Bug Swarm.

"What is it doing now?" Blaze asked.

"Don't know. This is new to us," Ike replied. They all saw Akidan jump right into the swarm. Soon, it began forming into a giant mech like a bipedal tank. Akidan sat inside the cockpit.

"Is that Metal Gear?" Snake said slightly surprised.

"You mean those robot stage props on the Shadow Moses stage?" Ness asked.

"Yes, I didn't think the Shadow Bugs could form into stage props."

"I heard this thing is one wicked damage dealer. Let's find out," Akidan said as the cockpit closed, and the Metal Gear began to move.

Metal Gear started to fire missiles. With their fast sword swings, Marth and Meta Knight sliced some of the missiles in a blink of an eye while Fox and Falco took out the remainders with their guns. Silver flew up trying to take apart the machine, but with the heavy gunfire quickly locked on him, he couldn't do much. Amy, Knuckles, Kirby, and Donkey Kong tried to make a distraction for it by attacking the legs. DK and Knuckles used their fists on one leg while Kirby and Amy used their hammers on the other. It treated them like insects as it kicked the fighters away while still keeping the heavy fire on Silver.

Eventually, the Metal Gear struck Silver down and began firing missiles again at the Smashers. Sonic went Spin Dashing at its armor followed by Falcon Punches by Falcon and Light Arrows from Zelda. None of them made a dent. Snake used a bunch of Stinger missiles and aimed for the metal plate on its left shoulder, but it also didn't do anything. No matter how much force the Smashers and Mobians put on the Metal Gear, the bipedal tank kept moving normally, unfazed by the oncoming attacks.

"What will it take to destroy this thing?" Peach said frustrated as she used both her frying pan and golf club.

"The armor on Metal Gear is completely indestructible," Snake stated.

"You could've told us sooner!" everyone yelled.

"Yeah whatever, we just need to get the pilot seat opened. The controls work exactly like a VR system, and the cockpit is completely shut out from the outside environment. It uses multiple sensors on the outside as its eyes."

"So if we destroy the sensors, that will make Akidan blind while in there, making her have to open the cockpit to see and work the controls manually. And one well-placed shot can destroy the computer from the inside," Tails finished.

"Exactly. The problem is that the metal plate on its left shoulder is a radome. Otacon told me that I can use Stinger missiles to destroy it. I did so, but it's not even damaged. They reinforced this Metal Gear, so we're gonna need something stronger than missiles."

"What about our Final Smashes?" Fox suggested.

"Maybe some of yours will do. Anyone with a blast type Final Smash, focus it on the radome. Fox, Falco, Wolf, use your Final Smashes to give them cover. Everyone else, make sure that thing stays in one place." Everyone nodded at their task.

The Star Fox characters activated their Final Smashes, Landmaster, and fired at the tank. Silver was able to use his psychokinesis to hold Metal Gear along with Link with his clawshot and Bowser and Ganondorf holding down the legs. Behind the Landmasters, Zelda, Red, Mario, Samus, Lucario, and Arla were ready with their Final Smashes. Arla was going to try to use Zero Laser. They jumped out of their cover and aimed at the radome.

"Light Arrow!"

"Triple Finish!"

"Mario Finale!"

"Zero Laser!"

"Aura Storm!"

After yelling out their respective attack. Their moves combined into one huge blast and completely obliterated the radome, causing the pilot seat to open up, revealing Akidan.

"Chaos Lance!" Shadow yelled as he went for the computer inside. He summoned a stronger type of Chaos Spear in his hand and destroyed the computer, causing Akidan to jump out and Metal Gear to reduce back to Shadow Bugs and disappear.

"Are you kidding me," Akidan muttered as she stood up, holding on to her bruised arm. She quietly retreated into another portal back to Subspace.

"Wow, this whole place became a mess," Knuckles said as he looked around the mall. It was almost completely destroyed during the fight. Then, everyone heard helicopters coming from the distance.

"Are those the authorities?" Pit asked.

"Yes they are, it's GUN," Sonic said slightly annoyed. "This will take a while to explain."

"You might as well go back to the Smash World. I'll give them the rundown on this," Shadow said since he is part of that group.

"What about cleaning up this place? It was the Subspace Army that did this, and they are our responsibility. We are part of the blame for all of this," Zelda said.

"Well, technically, it's my fault. Arla was about to go to the Smash World before, but I insisted that she should stay here and relax for a bit," Amy admitted. "Don't worry we'll take care of it from here. Bye Arla! Hope we can do this again. The shopping part though, not the attack by a giant robot." Arla gently waved goodbye.

"Alright, later guys," Sonic waved. Arla summoned another light blue portal to the Smash World, and the Smashers left through it.

*Smash Mansion*

As they entered the portal, they were greeted by Mr. Game & Watch, Ice Climbers, ROB, Jigglypuff, and Master Hand. MH thought that himself and a few of the Smashers should stay back at the mansion in case the Subspace Army attacked.

"I see you're successful. Welcome back Arla," MH said. Arla waved to greet him and the Smashers that stayed. "Now we must go back to the original problem. Since Tabuu apparently can't die, he will keep sending his army wherever we are in order to get the Smash Bracelet, and I still haven't found a way to take it off of Arla yet. We will need to find a way to destroy Subspace entirely in order to defeat him for good."

"Of course, the million-dollar question is how," Ganondorf commented.

*Subspace*

Akidan paced around frustrated at what to do next. She lost their prize as well as Tabuu's host. Out of anger, she's been swinging her sword around killing off Primids she summoned in the process to let out some steam. Soon Tabuu appeared, and she stopped what she was doing and simply stood with her head down. They were both silent for a couple of minutes until Akidan spoke.

"Well," she said.

"Well, what?"

"I failed you how many times? I might as well burn in an incinerator," she said sarcastically. "Even recently. I took a handful of Shadow Bugs with me to find her. I should've told you before. My apologies." She bowed her head lower awaiting her punishment.

"I figured as much," Tabuu replied bluntly.

"What?!"

"Did you really think I wouldn't sense anyone leave or enter Subspace? I was trapped here for so long that I almost feel assimilated with this place, feeling any energy spike around here. Now I even learned how to prevent a Smasher from turning into a trophy in here like before."

"And you didn't act?"

"You could say I was testing your limits."

"What do you mean?"

"I could've gotten rid of you during your first failure, but you are the only one here that has the most potential. Grabs like you are hard to find. It's also a way of testing the limits of your desires. Do you remember why you wanted to join me?"

"Of course. I work for that goal with all my heart."

"Then, I'm curious why you're holding back."

"What, I'm not-"

"Are you lying to me?!" Tabuu said in rage. Akidan shook her head. "Then, stop restraining yourself. I understand why you hesitate, but if you ever want to be complete again, you better step up your game. Show me just how far you will go to get that desire you crave."

"I just don't know where to improve though," Akidan said slightly insecure.

"Then train. Train yourself until you drop. Focus on the will to never hesitate, never restrain. Become a ferocious animal if you have to, as long as you improved. Remember, whatever it takes." Akidan gave a stern bow to her master and walked off to do just that.

A/N: Next time, both sides are taking a 'hiatus' from each other. What will the Smashers be doing during all of this? I'll give you a hint, it won't be tournament battles this time. That's the most obvious thing to expect while they take some R&R from something life-threatening. I'll only focus on the Smashers side of it. Putting many Subspace parts is gonna be hard without revealing too much. I'll only add maybe one part on the Subspace side but that's it. Hope you enjoyed.


	14. Chapter 12: R&R

**The Power of the Voice**

**Chapter 12: R&R**

*Smash Mansion*

Throughout the past few weeks, Julia was teaching Arla how to use her katana to its full potential. Master Hand completely shut himself in his office to finish his research on how to destroy Subspace as well as taking off the Smash Bracelet from Arla. Because of this, he never scheduled any tournament battles for the Smashers. They've been sparring with each other as well as the things they do in their free time. While they kept themselves mildly entertained, the Smashers were running out of things to do. Right now, they're all lying in the living room (it's a big room trust me) just looking bored. Julia and Arla came in after finishing another lesson with their swords.

"Hey y'all, what are your plans for today?" Julia asked.

"This," the Smashers replied in unison.

"Seriously?"

"With Master Hand isolating himself in his office, we can't schedule any tournament battles," Marth said.

"We've been sparring several times with each other as well as other things for days. They're becoming pointless now," Falco added.

"**You guys really can't think of anything else?" **Arla asked when she typed down on her new translator from Tails.

"There was that Mini-Olympics he gave us, but that was almost as boring. It had math problems, MATH PROBLEMS!" Pit reminded.

"Poyo poyo po poyo (Master Hand isn't that creative when it comes to fun stuff)," Kirby commented.

"I thought the Mario Kart event was cool," Toon Link muttered.

"But other than those, any other ideas we can try," Fox asked. They all became silent as they pondered what else they can try. Soon Julia spoke.

"Then, think bigger," Julia said.

"Just how big are you thinking?" Ness asked.

"Not life-threatening big, but we might have an idea we could try," Julia said referring to both herself and Arla. The Smashers, even Arla, was confused. "Arla, do you remember our little birthday tradition?" Arla thought hard until her eyes lit up excitedly.

"**You mean those stuff?"**

"You bet. And since we're doing it for the Smashers this time, we really need to put it into a whole new level of dangerous fun. Can your battle simulator shape into any stage you can imagine?"

"It can. For place from our worlds, only the ones Master Hand inserted in the computer. If a completely new world from scratch, then it's up to you I guess," Zelda explained.

"What are you up to?" Peach asked curiously.

"You'll see soon enough. It might take us some time, especially for the changes for you guys, but I think we can make it work. Arla, let's go," Julia said as she grabbed Arla and went to the battle simulator.

*MH's Office*

As he was working on his project he was notified that someone was in the battle simulator building a stage from scratch. When he checked the cameras, he saw Julia… bringing pillows onto the battlefield. Then, he turned to the camera to the backyard to see Arla using PK freeze all over the ground and created a dome from Zelda's magic.

"What are you two up to?" MH said curiously.

*Next Day*

The Smash Brothers waited all day and all night for Julia and Arla to finish up with their projects, even through lunch, dinner, and breakfast. They still ate during meals, but every time they entered, the two ladies were always exhausted. The Smashers can tell they've been working hard.

It was already 9:00 a.m. in the morning and everyone was done with their breakfast. They were also growing impatient for what was planned for them as they sat in the living room once again.

"Ugh, that's it. I'm done waiting! It's time to see what they were up to!" Bowser exclaimed.

"Patience Bowser. We all can tell they've been working really hard to do this on their own, especially without the aid of Master Hand. We should respect their space," Peach said. Bowser only grunted. After a couple of minutes, Arla and Julia came in once again.

"**Sorry for the holdup everyone. We were able to make something similar to our Birthday Bash tradition."**

"Yep, Arla described your Mini-Olympics you had before. It sounds really similar to a tradition we have on my birthday when we come up with a ton of wicked activities. Apparently, your activities sounded like a real bust, so we were trying to attempt to make a better version of it that could meet up to all your… standards. An 'Olympic Bash' you could say," Julia explained. "This was made with all the resources we could find, so sorry if it isn't the prettiest stuff."

Arla led the Smashers to the backyard to find an ice rink instead of the normal ground.

Julia gave everyone, including Arla, a pair of skates, a hockey stick, and a hockey puck. Everyone but Julia skated onto the rink.

"Are we playing hockey?" Lucas asked.

"**Sort of. But it'll be a brawl instead." **Arla typed down.

"You can't be serious? We already know how to fight," Wolf said.

"**In your own way, yes. But, have you ever tried to fight with nothing but a hockey puck?" **Wolf shook his head.

"Well, that's the aim of the game. It's similar to that archery game you had before. Just shoot and don't get shot," Julia said as she sat down ready to watch.

"How come you aren't joining?" Dedede complained.

"Someone's gotta be the referee. Plus, with me in it, that would be majorly unfair."

"Yeah right. I like to see you try to hit me. Come on, I like to see you try. I won't even move," the King of Dreamland said confidently. Julia smirked at the challenge. She skated to the middle of the ice. She aimed directly at Dedede, but at the last second, she shot the puck to her left. The puck whizzed between Link and Falcon's heads and hit the dome, ricocheted off the dome to a higher part of it, and then bounced back towards Dedede. He stared with wide eyes, frozen, only to find the puck only hitting his hat off.

"Ha! I told you that you couldn't-" he didn't finish his sentence. The puck rebounded from the floor and hit the blue penguin on the back of his noggin, knocking him out. The others looked surprised.

"With that, Dedede is eliminated, continue," Julia said nonchalantly as she dragged Dedede off the rink. The Smashers looked at each other then began the brawl, trying to shoot opponents away with their pucks.

After about half an hour, only the Olympic Smashers, Sonic, Mario, Yoshi, Peach, and Luigi are left. They had the most experience of playing hockey. Sonic and Mario were about to shoot each other, and Peach with Luigi. Once they did, their pucks went to the other shooter, taking both of them out. Yoshi was the only one who didn't face off 1v1 against someone, and because of that, he was the victor.

"Yoshi! Yoshi!" Yoshi cheered as he jumped up and down after skating off the ice.

"Onto the next event. Arla." Julia said. Arla nodded and led the Smashers… onto the roof? They knew the mansion was really high up since it housed 35 of them, and they knew a drop from that height would be fatal if they fell without any padding.

"Uh, what's this about?" Nana said nervously as she looked down at the edge.

"Arla, the trampolines are set right?" Arla nodded as she pointed to where she put them. The Smashers turned to where she pointed. They saw a bunch of trampolines hanging widely scattered all over a giant pit about a football field away. "Alright, let it rip!"

Arla jumped off the roof and used PK Freeze once again. With the ice, she started to make a makeshift slide with a lot of twists and turns but not much railing. Soon she ended the slide at the front of the pit going upward. She launched herself up and aimed for one of the trampolines and bounced on them until she landed on solid ground. Then, Arla used Pit's wings and Sonic's speed to fly back onto the roof.

"**The goal is what you just saw me do. Slide without falling off and land on the trampolines to solid ground without falling into the giant hole. Only this time, I will try to find ways to distract you. The rules are no flying of any kind, no recoveries, no using your powers, and no shields or weapons. All you can use is your own momentum and your wits. Good luck!" **Arla typed down.

One by one, they slid down trying not to fall. Though it was hard since it was made of ice. Arla made sure the slide wouldn't break or melt. Julia can't participate since she doesn't have a way to recover or have any armor to protect her, so one fall could kill her, and she couldn't transform into a trophy like her sister now can.

As they continued, Arla was throwing her metal fans hoping to trip someone up, and she throws other stuff in the mix like fireballs, lasers, even grenades. In the end, the Smashers had at least two to three bruises on themselves. More if you included the bruises from the hockey game pucks before.

"I think that should be enough for today," Toon Link commented as he took a breather from all that happened so far.

"Don't you think this is a little intense for us?" Marth said as he laid down on the grass like some of the others.

"Hard to say. You guys are a different level of circumstances from normal people. I just assumed that since you already do intense stuff already, like bashing robots or sneaking into top secret facilities, doing normal life stuff would be too boring for you," Julia replied.

"But when doing such intense, we tend to forget the normal life, so it's not so bad to live a normal life again. Like a break from our version of norm," Snake said.

"That's a good point. Well usually, the usual activities are always held in controlled environments. Luckily this next event is a normal life activity. Come on." A few minutes after everyone rested up, they followed Julia to the next event she has in store. While Arla worked outside, Julia worked inside the battle simulator. When they entered, they saw a whole new battlefield, one that looks like one of the Splatoon turf war fields.

"**Who's up for some laser tag?"** Arla typed with a smile.

"I thought you said every activity in your life is in a controlled environment. That means no one getting seriously hurt in your case," Zelda said.

"**No not literal laser tag like the lasers in Fox's gun. I meant using the harmless kind of lasers." **Arla and Julia passed out vests of all sizes with blue lights on their chest and back and shoulders, and attached to the back, is a cable with a gun at the end of it. For the Smashers who stand on all fours or with short arms, they were given vests that have an automatic gun on their shoulders instead of a handheld gun.

"It's simple. You have half an hour to get as many people as you can. Repeats count. Aim for the lights on each others' vests. Once you're hit, the light will turn red, which means you can't use your gun. After about 10 seconds, the light will turn blue and you can use it again. After times up, the screen will show the results of who gets the highest score. This is basically like a VR video game." Julia explained.

"**It will also be glow in the dark themed to make it interesting. Once the lights turn off and you only see neon colors, that's when the game starts. Vice versa when the game is done. There's a grace period for one minute once we enter the room. It'll give you time to see the layout and plan. Rules are the same as before, and the only weapon you can use is that gun. Is everyone ready?" **Arla finished.

"So, we won't get hurt from the lasers at all?" Ness clarified.

"**Yep, let's go!" **Everyone entered and began to spread out. After the grace period ended, the lights went out, and only black lights remained to show the neon colors. The match had started. Julia and Arla both joined this time as well. Everyone could see lasers fly all over the place as if this was some war.

Every time someone got shot, they heard a power down sound effect, and when they shot someone, they heard a trumpet victory sound. Some people even teamed up for a short time, and some kept shooting constantly at the same people for personal bitter rivalry business.

*MH's Office*

He started to hear laser noises. The fact he could hear it from all the way from his office confused him, even though it was muffled. The simulator was a few floors below his office. He switched the cameras again to see the room all dark but colorful, and he saw all the Smashers inside.

"What the heck?" MH said confused.

*Battle Simulator*

After time was up, the lights went up, and the Smashers laid on the ground mildly exhausted, except for a few obvious.

"Maybe 30 minutes was a stretch," Julia said.

"Probably," Ike replied, who was sitting across from her. Soon a screen came down that showed everyone's score. The top three were the Star Fox characters. The three of them smirked at the results, but they saw the names for most accurate and the one who had the most kills. Apparently, Olimar had the most kills even though he was in 12th place, and Marth was the most accurate despite being in 18th.

"How did they get those titles?" Falco asked slightly annoyed.

"**That's likely because Olimar did hit the most people, but at the same time, he was shot at too often, losing points in the process. Marth was the most accurate since out of all the shots he threw, the majority of them didn't miss. He knew when to fire, but it's likely he didn't fire enough, which is why he is low on the board."** Arla explained.

"Was that all you had planned for us?" Meta Knight asked.

"**I think there's one more thing left. But, I want to get dinner first I'm starving." **Everyone looked at the clock to see that it was already 8:00 p.m. They've been busy for almost the entire day. "**When you all are done, I suggest changing into your sleepwear before doing the last activity."**

Eventually, they had dinner, eating and conversing about the day so far and they thought of it.

"That ice slide event was honestly cool, we were going zip, and then up, and then boom," Pit said excitedly to some of the Smashers sitting by him. As he talked, he waved his spoon that was covered in mash potatoes back and forth. However, he was swinging it too hard that a big chunk on the spoon was tossed and hit Bowser in the head. Pit didn't notice it though.

"Hey! Oh, now you're getting it," Bowser said. He looked back at the directing where the food was thrown. He saw Mario right beside Pit and assumed it was him. The Koopa King threw his curry right at him.

"What, hey! Argh!" Mario said angered. He threw his mushroom soup at Bowser, but he ducked in time and the soup hit Wolf.

"What the hell!" Soon Wolf threw his food at another Smasher. Then slowly, it became an all-out food fight for everyone. After an hour or two, I'm sure everyone can guess who showed up looking like a hot pepper.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!" MH yelled looking at the mess of food the Smashers made. "I had to pull out of my work to see you guys all acting like children around here!" Everyone glanced at each other in silence. Then all at once, they began to laugh despite MH's mood.

"Apologies Master Hand. It's just been a while since we had some actual excitement," Marth said as he looked at all the food he was covered in as well as everyone else.

"Was this another one of your activities?" MH said as he 'glared' at Julia and Arla. Julia remained calm, but Arla looked somewhat ashamed and had her hood up.

"Not at all actually. We just wanted to join," Julia replied.

"Fine, I'll let it slide just this once. You at least gave me an excuse to get some fresh air," the hand said sternly. "Just make sure this last activity of yours doesn't make that much of a mess like it already is." With that, he left without saying another word. Julia gave a slight chuckle and went to clean up like everyone else. While she helped clean, she couldn't help but feel partly guilty for participating.

"Don't let Master Hand get to you Arla. He's usually angry when doing something like this," Olimar said.

"Yeah, most of us got in trouble with him at some point, so we're used to taking on his wrath individually," Ness added.

"**For you guys maybe. This was the first time I ever did something so inappropriate. It was exhilarating, but I can't help being ashamed for not being what I'm expected to be. I'm just so used to following the rules. Every time I do get in trouble though, it was always because of someone else,"** Arla typed.

"We've done stuff way worse than this. Trust me," Sonic said.

"Like?" Julia asked excited to know.

"Poyo Poyo Poyo (one time we played frisbee indoors and nearly broke all the furniture)," Kirby said smiling from that memory. Everyone lightly laughed.

"There was one Easter when we decorated raw eggs, then we had an egg war," Falco reminded. More laughs.

"Pika Pi Pika (and that time when we had that prank war on April Fool's Day)," Pikachu said.

"Wow, those really are bizarre. And Master Hand's reaction?" Julia asked while laughing.

"Twice what you saw," everyone said.

"What about you two? Was there anything you did that was against the rules?" Peach asked.

"Not much. There were some small friendly competitions back in high school. They were usually about minor stuff, so the teachers shrugged them off. The bystanders, like me, found a lot of entertainment in them. I remembered one when a group called the 'Thorium Girls' were up against… I think they were called the 'Gulang Gang' in a game called 'Nine Square'. The rivalry lasted for about two weeks before it died out, and it happened during classes as well. There was another competition before as well. It was a group I joined that involved your games. A couple of us would play on the ds and play Super Smash Bros Brawl against one another. I just borrowed others' ds' so I could play," Julia said. "I'm pretty sure electronics weren't allowed, but I don't think the teachers cared that much. A couple joined actually."

"That's pretty dull," Falco admitted.

"Sorry, but that's all the gossip I got."

"What about you Arla?" Zelda asked.

"**Nothing exciting. My school was a private school. The rules were extremely strict, and the teachers there watched the hallways like a hawk. Whatever bad thing you do, they always found a way to catch you. If you were a witness, you get in trouble too. That's why there aren't any friend groups or bullies at all in my school. Everyone's on their own. I was one of the few that never got into trouble or caused any mishap. With that record, I wasn't treated badly like everyone else, but that's when I was so used to the way I behave that I didn't know how to get out of the habit. They basically pushed me into the perfect student they wanted, obedient and disciplined."**

"Oh my, I'm sorry for asking."

"**Relax princess. I'm having fun now. Don't go giving me sympathetic looks with down faces. That'll spoil the last activity we have today,"** Arla typed down with a smirk.

"Oh yeah, what is it anyway?" Fox asked.

"First get yourself cleaned up, then, come to the battle simulator again with sleepwear," Julia reminded. They went to their rooms to do just that. After another half an hour they arrived at the simulator with their pajamas. Some didn't have sleepwear since they thought they didn't need any.

"So what is it?" Mario asked. The two ladies nodded and opened the room to find a completely new stage filled with pillows. They hid their smiles as they both grabbed a pillow.

"Pillow Fight!" Julia yelled as she and Arla started throwing pillows at the Smashers. Most of the Smashers smiled and began throwing pillows as well. Some of the lone wolf Smashers stood to the side but still threw pillows every once in a while. Some created pillow forts while others created barricades to block the barrage of soft attacks. Soon enough, the arena was split in half. One group versus the other. Suddenly, everyone froze when they saw Master Hand coming in.

"I saw everything on the cameras," MH said lowly. Everyone remained silent once again until MH picked up a handful of pillows. "Now which team am I on?" he said excitedly. With that, MH joined in the fray, making the chaos twice as powerful.

It was laughs and joy until everyone began to get tired when it reached close to midnight. Everyone fell asleep in the arena of pillows.

*Subspace*

"Yaaaah!" Akidan screamed as she sliced another Galleom in half. Throughout her few weeks, she had trained constantly to better herself. She started with only Primids. Next, she added a few bosses into the mix. Now she faced nothing but the bosses constantly without a moment's rest. She felt a ton of pain, but she didn't care. Tabuu did say to work until she dropped. She was slicing through them like an animal at this point.

Fast swing by fast swing, she sliced every boss from Petey P. to Duon (during the cutscenes) with a single slice. As she fought the last of her group, she landed, breathing heavily. Then, she heard a slow clap. She turned to the noise, ready to strike it, only for the source to catch her blade. She saw Tabuu with content on his face.

"Very impressive. To attack without question. That is an improvement," Tabuu said. Akidan simply nodded while still catching her breath. "Now then." Tabuu summoned more Shadow Bugs to form. This time it took the shape of Arla.

Akidan stared at her blankly. Then, with all the strength she had left, ran at her with blade out in front. The copy fought similarly to how Arla first fought Akidan. This time though, Akidan didn't play around. She didn't have that confident smile she had beforehand. When she got the copy cornered, Akidan sliced her without a second thought.

"Now, if she was in front of you like that for real, will you take her out?" Tabuu asked.

"Without hesitation," Akidan replied as she walked away.


	15. Chapter 13: Battle After Battle

**The Power of a Voice**

**Chapter 13: Battle After Battle**

*Next Day*

After that little exciting event, one by one the Smashers began to wake up. Some were still surprised that Master Hand, the one who is usually angered with stuff like this, would join something so childish. Many were glad they did this, to do something normal after a long time, being regular people.

"So, why did you decide to join us this time around?" Mario asked.

"I thought you were going to scold us like usual," Ness looked at MH upside down on his pillow, waiting for an answer.

"Well, while I am a martinet, I still am a person, or at least someone living and breathing. Don't I deserve some relaxation? Also, this was a good celebration for finding a way how to get rid of Subspace." Everyone looked up to the hand in surprise.

"You mean you actually found a way?" Link said.

"**What about taking off the Smash Bracelet."**

"That I haven't found yet." Arla fell back on her pillow in relief. "But once we finish this situation, I'll have all the time I need to find a way." Arla gave the hand a weak smile but looked away in disappointment. "Right now we should get everything cleaned up, then, I will tell you all that will happen next." Everyone went back to their rooms to change to their normal clothes and began cleaning the areas from the Olympic Bash. As they worked MH and Julia were cleaning the rest of the cafeteria that wasn't clean last night.

"What will happen once this is over?" Julia asked while sweeping the floor.

"Pardon?" MH was throwing away food scraps.

"Once she has that bracelet off?"

"Ah yes, both of you will be able to go back home, undisturbed by such danger."

"Figures. And how Arla will react to that?"

"I don't follow."

"She's smart and strong, but she can also be modest and hesitant of herself. Why else do you think she hasn't talked to you about this subject? That was the answer she hoped not to hear."

"How do you know for sure."

"Unlike you, I don't keep myself cooped up in my room for the past few weeks. We had a lot to catch up on, and this subject was part of it." She finished sweeping and turned to the hand with a glare. "You know she'll be heartbroken about this. Can't you let her stay as a Smasher? She has proven herself."

"I can't risk it. The fighters here are from worlds close to this one. Those worlds are connected to one universe, but your world is not on the web. It's in a separate universe entirely where we are seen as something different. It took me a while to get a temporary connection to your Earth. To make a permanent link would risk the balance of this universe and yours if anyone from your world finds out about our existence."

"We won't tell anyone of your existence. Arla literally can't tell, nor will she if she could. She made her very first friends here. I know for a fact she doesn't ever want to sell you guys out!" Julia said the last part louder than usual. MH muscles tighten, indicating he was frustrated by her stubbornness to agree with these terms.

"Well, then there's you. You can't be a Smasher because of your inexperience in battle. How do I know that you won't go blurting out what you're seeing? I never intended for you to come here in the first place."

"I know that!" Everything briefly became silent by her outburst. She talked quietly. "I promise I won't tell. That's my only way to prove to you that I won't tell."

"How so?"

"Didn't Arla ever tell you what my specialty is?" He shook his head. "I'm always good at keeping promises." They stared at each other for a while until Fox came in.

"Hey, Master Hand everyone's done cleaning up. We're just waiting on you," he stared at the two who both had stern looks. "Did I miss something?"

"Sorry Fox, we were just having a deep discussion about something." Julia briefly glanced at MH to see him tense down his stance also.

"Alright, we'll meet you in the living room." Fox left and Julia and MH followed shortly after.

"You know Arla did say you were very stubborn," MH whispered to her.

"That's just my character flaw." Once they arrived they saw everyone already inside, and Julia took a seat as well.

"As you all know, I found a way to rid Subspace, but only 'trap' it. We blow up a Subspace Bomb within Subspace. Once it happens, two possibilities will likely occur. Either Subspace will collapse in on itself, or the residue will remain and any ticket out of that place will end up leading back to where they started."

"I thought all the Subspace Bombs were destroyed," ROB said.

"They were, but I was able to remake them. This time without any ROBs. You should be able to know how to detonate them." MH summoned one of the bombs to show. It was small and handheld with a big red button on top. "Once these are set, you need to get out of Subspace as quickly as possible or else you'll be stuck there forever. There's a lot of ground to cover, so it will take all of you to plant the bombs." Everyone nodded in understanding. Suddenly, they heard explosions, and the dust on the roof was shown. They got their weapons ready and went outside, but Arla stopped Julia.

"**Stay here. We need someone to guard the inside in case anything got in."** Julia nodded as Arla raced out with the rest of the Smashers. What they saw overwhelmed them.

There were armies of Petey Piranhas, Duons, Galleoms, Rayquazas, Metal Gears, and Ridleys. At the center of that legion was Akidan with a dark aura surrounding her as she leads.

"This is going to be intense," Pit said with bow ready.

"Can we beat that many?" Nana felt uncertain about this.

"We've dealt with them before, we can do it again," Sonic said with confidence.

"**They're becoming very desperate to get the Smash Bracelet." **Arla charged her katana with energy. Akidan raised her sword and the Subspace Army charged, as did the Smashers.

Mario, Luigi, Ness, Samus, Link, and Falcon took on Ridleys. Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Kirby, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Fox went for Duons. Sonic, Arla, Lucario, Zelda, Lucas, and Snake fought Metal Gears. Ganondorf, ROB, Toon Link, Meta Knight, Bowser, and Wolf battled Rayquazas. Peach, Ike, Marth, Falco, G&W, and Diddy fought Galleoms. And Ice Climbers, Olimar, Red, Dedede, Wario, and Pit against Petey Piranhas.

Mario kept shooting fireballs at Ridleys, grounding them in the process, and Luigi attacks with his hammer finishing them off. Links used his clawshot to grab clones from the sky, then slicing them. Occasionally, he throws bombs and arrows. Falcon grabbed Ness and flings him into the air where he performed PK Thunder on a group of Ridleys. Samus shot multiple charge shots with her plasma cannon once she used her plasma whip to grab the Ridleys. While fighting, Samus was in complete anger once again, destroying more Ridleys than the other five.

"Samus, I know this is Ridley, but it's a clone. It isn't real," Mario said as he swung his hammer when a Ridley swooped down.

"Can't you go one battle against him without looking like a murderous psychopath?" Falcon caught Ness and threw him back into the air, then he kicked another Ridley down.

"As long as I'm seeing him get destroyed, that's good enough for me," Samus replied, destroying another group of space pirates.

"Case and point."

"At least I'm getting the job done faster like this." She glared at the F-Zero Racer under her visor. Falcon simply mutters under his breath, then went back to the fight.

Jigglypuff was rolling into the Duons, sometimes tipping them over. She couldn't sing them to sleep since robots like these didn't need sleep. Kirby was transforming into heavy weights, smashing the robots, and he used his hammer to launch back the missiles they threw. Yoshi spawned his eggs out and threw them as well as used his tongue to also grab missiles to throw back. Pikachu fought constantly with thunderbolts, short-circuiting the Duons. Donkey Kong was slamming his fists here and there to stop the blades and bash the wheels. Fox, in his Arwing, was firing at the Duons since he knew his gun wouldn't do much.

Sonic spin-dashed into the radomes of the Metal Gears, taking them out from the cockpit afterward. Arla sliced through the legs to tip them over while Lucas was the finisher. Zelda transformed into Sheik and, with Snake, took down Metal Gears one at a time. Lucario took down many of them with several Aura Spheres.

"At least these Metal Gears are weaker now," Lucas said, casting PK Fire on another group of fallen bots Arla caused.

"Maybe because it takes a lot of Shadow Bugs to fortify it. Right now many of Shadow Bugs are diluted among the army, creating monstrous volumes of creatures and making each one individually weaker. We can use that to our advantage," Lucario explained as he dodged a foot about to stomp on him.

Bowser was holding down Rayquazas, so Ganondorf was able to blast dark magic to disintegrate them back to Shadow Bugs. ROB and Meta Knight were flying around taking out the Rayquazas high up in the sky. Wolf used his reflector to bounce off the energy balls aimed right at him. Toon Link was throwing bombs and arrows just like the older Link.

"Why can't we get a break with these, it's just battle after battle," Toon jumped out of the way from a Rayquaza bursting out from the ground.

"Just shut up and keep fighting," Bowser grabbed another Rayquaza and flung him towards Wolf to attack with his claws.

A few Galleoms launched missiles at the group, but Diddy shot peanut guns to counter them as well as Falco with his gun. Peach was floating gracefully with her umbrella to attack above with turnips. G&W, Ike, and Marth were slashing at the bottom to create distractions while the other three attacked from above.

"We aren't making much headway with this," Marth said. He looked at the robots and realized that they aren't doing as much damage as they thought with just their swords.

"We weren't able to subdue one the first time either," Ike added, reminding his friend about the first time they fought Galleom.

"Then let's think bigger." Marth summoned his Smash Ball. G&W and Ike also got the hint and did the same. The spread out to get a group in line. Peach, Falco, and Diddy also saw this and jumped out of the way.

"Critical Hit!"

"Great Aether!"

"Beep! (Octopus)" All three of them took out their respective group of Galleoms.

Olimar was slightly damaging the Petey P's with his Pikmin as well as Red's Pokemon. Dedede swung his hammer to stop the cages swinging at him. Nana and Popo were freezing several groups in their tracks. Wario rammed the giant plants with his motorcycle. Pit was firing arrows and slicing them up with his blades. After defeating enough, the angel flew up and looked down at the battlefield. Most of the Subspace Beasts were defeated as many of the Smashers began using their Final Smashes as well to finish up their battles. He began to use his as well.

"Palutena's Army!" Many other angels began flying up and finished the rest of the Petey P's.

Everyone looked around to see everyone else done and the Shadow Bugs scattered. One Ridley was about to get up until Falcon backhanded it in the head without even looking.

"Well, that's that," he looked around, but something didn't feel right to him. "I feel like we're missing something."

"Yeah, usually there would be something like those 'I'm not done with you yet!' kinds of speeches," Popo said also figuring it out. Then, Arla raised her head in realization.

"**What about Akidan?"** she typed down.

"I thought you had her," Falco stated.

"**I was busy with Metal Gears."**

"Was this all a diversion to lead us outside?" Zelda thought out loud. They all glanced at each other in silence before rushing back into the mansion. Before they got through the door, MH was flung outside, obviously attacked by something. More importantly someone. Bowser, DK, Ike, and Ganondorf got in front in time to stop him from flying into the group.

"What happened?" Ike asked.

"What do you think?" MH replied, a bit annoyed. Then, they saw a bolt of lightning fly out. Once everyone rushed inside, they saw Julia and Akidan fighting with Akidan gaining the advantage.

"You ain't taking it," Julia blocked another attack and pushed the other back. Julia turned to see all the Smashers present. "Took you long enough." She was kicked back a certain distance away. Once they understood what was going on, the Smashers jumped into the fray. As the Smashers fought, Julia exhaustedly got up, holding onto her injured arm as she raced towards MH.

"Do you still have it?" she asked. MH showed her a piece of blue paper, and Julia nodded, returning to the fight.

Akidan had new stuff at her disposal. She was surrounded by black tentacles, swaying them back and forth to swat away the Smashers. She also has Chains of Light exactly like Tabuu's. Grabbing groups of Smashers, she kept flinging them back to where she was unreachable. Samus and Fox were firing at the Chains of Light. Marth, Link, and Meta Knight were slicing the tentacles. Zelda, Pit, and Arla were firing Light Arrows at the tentacles, proving to be the most effective.

"Well, this is another new thing. Trying to do a show and tell?" Sonic joked, spinning through more tentacles that were about to grab him. He raced to Lucario. "Anyway to stop this?" Lucario began to look at Akidan again to see what's different from her. Then, he noticed a small necklace with the Subspace symbol glowing a dark aura just like she is.

"Get the necklace!" the Aura Pokemon yelled. Everyone else saw it too and focused on their new task. Akidan snarled in response.

What made matters worse for her is that her amulet retracted the extra limbs and chains, showing that it was out of magic. While she waited for it to recharge, she began dodging all the attacks that came after her. Arla came in quick with an Aura Sphere ready in her hands. Time slowed down for Akidan as she remembered all the training she had in Subspace. Before Arla could release her attack, Akidan swiftly stabbed her straight through the gut in a blink of an eye. Luckily, Arla can transform into a trophy now, but the method she was given to become one felt like a slow death.

"Too bad no one can hear your screams," Akidan whispered into Arla's ear. The assassin-ninja dropped to the ground in pain, but Mario slid down and caught her in time. Everyone else still chased after Akidan, who was trying to escape. Close to the entrance, she saw Julia and MH guarding it, ready to fight a bit longer.

Akidan smirked at an idea she has. She flanked right beside Julia and elbowed her arm hard which made her drop her sword. Then, Akidan got her into an armlock with her golden blade barely touching Julia's neck. The Smashers stopped in their tracks.

"Nobody moves or she gets it!" Akidan looked sharply at everyone to make sure her conditions were met. Julia was looking around, trying to find a way to escape her situation. Arla tried to get up to help, but she was far too injured.

"Not now, Arla," Mario whispered to her. She looked down in shame as she slouched back down to rest. Mario threw a glare back to Akidan. "What do you want? The Smash Bracelet again?"

"Not this time. I'm here to get something else." She turned to the floating hand. "Alright, you excuse for a god, hand it over."

"Hand over what?" Akidan saw right through the hand's facade.

"Don't be a dumbass. Did you really think he wouldn't notice parts of Subspace being tampered with? Give me the damn paper!" The golden blade on Julia's neck was touching to the point that it could almost bleed. The Smashers all looked over to MH in confusion, trying to figure out the ultimatum. After a minute of thinking, MH summoned a blue paper, the same one he showed to Julia. As it floated to her, Akidan saw that her amulet completely recharged. She summoned a Chain of Light to get ahold of the paper and unfolded it to see that it was what she was looking for. She folded it back up, still keeping Julia in her grasp.

"Adieu." Her amulet floated to her forehead and emitted a dark aura, stronger and stronger. Then, it set off another Off Wave, but instead of orange ripples, they were gray ones. All the Smashers, including Arla, turned into trophies while knocking out MH severely. Julia looked at them in wide eyes, hoping they could wake up.

"Damn it," Julia muttered harshly, but Akidan heard it. Julia glared at her at the corner of her eyes. "Why aren't you getting the Smash Bracelet now? It's right there in the open."

"You're right, I could kill her now and take it, but we need her alive. Besides, the best way to do this is to get the king backed up in the corner. All the players are out of the way, and soon it will be checkmate. Come on Senka, we have work to do." Akidan knocked Julia out with a chop to the neck. The last thing Julia felt was being dragged into something very dark.

A/N: Hey everyone I'm still alive! So far the ideas have been running slower with this story, but I do have an ending for this. I promise. I'm just struggling to figure out how this story so far can connect to the ending. Anyway, hope you enjoyed.


	16. Chapter 14: Checkmate

**The Power of a Voice**

**Chapter 14: Checkmate**

*Subspace*

Julia began to wake up once again to find herself in a prism. She looked around and found Akidan and Tabuu in a conversation, not noticing that she was awake.

"Are they set?" Tabuu said. Akidan nodded and showed him a screen, but Julia couldn't see it. "Alright, we start at dawn." Tabuu disappeared, leaving Akidan and Julia alone.

"You know, it's rude to eavesdrop," Akidan turned to Julia.

"You know, it's rude to capture someone that doesn't want to be taken," Julia sarcastically replied with arms crossed. "You're going to set off the bombs again, aren't you?"

"Duh. My master is getting very impatient. We need to show her that we mean business."

"Geez," Julia said, still exhausted from the last battle. "What's your reason for being here anyway? My gut feeling is telling me that it has something to do with Arla." Akidan replied in a low voice.

"I want to be whole again."

"Arla's your other half isn't she?" Akidan was silent, but Julia knew what she meant. "But why her of all the people on Earth. I just want to know how this all started. I remember her since she was very young, and she never had anything soul-splitting happen to her."

"Because that's how Master Hand planned it." Julia looked at her in confusion. "I, or rather Arla, has the gift to travel between worlds and universes like this one. Master Hand saw this as a risk and took a precaution that wasn't noticeable to anyone."

"He split Arla in half," Julia realized. "He is the type to do whatever is necessary."

"When we split, we had different traits from each other. I am her power made manifest, and Arla became a normal person. But, that price came with me not having a physical body without Tabuu's power, and her…"

"Losing her voice." Julia looked at Akidan sitting down with her hand on her forehead in stress. "How did you know Master Hand even did this to you if you just a baby back then?"

"Tabuu told me everything. He was in Subspace a lot longer than we thought. He experienced the hand banishing me into this place. He trained me, showed me the truth. How could I not be loyal to him? I learned to get out of Subspace at my own leisure with my power. In exchange, I help him get out."

"Then, why weren't you at the battle during the Subspace Emissary?"

"Tabuu said back then that I wasn't ready yet, but now I am. Why am I even telling you this anyway?" Akidan sat up in realization.

"You and Arla share one thing in common. You always came to me to talk about your personal stuff." Julia said with a tired smirk. Akidan gritted her teeth. Then, a Primid came along.

"Already midnight?" The Primid nodded. "Alright." Akidan walked to the console beside the prism Julia was inside. She pushed a button, and dark mist came falling in the crystal prison. "By morning, you'll be one of us again. This stronger dosage should do the trick." She left, leaving Julia by herself.

"Ngh." Julia felt her head getting very dizzy. Before she blacked out again, she saw her clothes changing back into armor.

*Smash Mansion, Midnight*

It's been hours since Akidan left everyone as trophies. MH was still knocked out. Suddenly three bright lights filled the room from Luigi, Ness, and Dedede's trophies, and the three of them woke up.

"Whew, good thing we kept my broaches from last time," Dedede said. They got up and awakened everyone else. Luckily, Arla's deep wound was also gone. Zelda and Link went over to MH to heal him up, and he woke up as well.

"Well, that was a real bust," Falcon said rubbing his head.

"Thank you Captain Obvious," Fox sarcastically said. He looked out the window to see that it was dark already. "Julia, why didn't you wake us up sooner?" He looked around for her. "Julia?"

"She's not here at all," Lucario used his powers to try and find her, but he picked up nothing so far.

"**She's not in the mansion?"** Arla looked at him in worry.

"She's not even close to the area."

"**Subspace." **Arla clenched her hands in frustration. Then, she turned to MH for answers. "**What was Akidan after if it wasn't me?" **If she could, she would be yelling in anger at the hand right now.

"She took the blueprints to the new Subspace Bombs," MH replied. "But, I made sure that the bombs can only be detonated within Smash World, and Subspace is a pocket dimension of this one."

"But that can't be entirely their goal right?" Meta Knight thought out loud. Everyone turned to him, wondering what he meant. "Tabuu said that he wanted to conquer beyond this world. But, if they already knew the bomb's design had a failsafe, then they know that their goal can't be achieved. So, what was the point in stealing the blueprints?"

"We can figure it out in the morning. It's already late. Once it's dawn, we can do some recon to find any clues on what Subspace is after," Mario said. Everyone else nodded and returned to their rooms.

*Lucario's POV*

While I was about to drift off to sleep, I sensed someone still awake. When they are asleep, their auras dim down, but one isn't yet. I got out of bed and focused on its exact point.

"_The roof?"_ I began to wonder who would be on the roof at this time of the night. Then, I heard a groan and saw my roommate Sonic begin to wake up.

"Oh, hey Lucario. What are you doing up?" he whispered, rubbing his eyes.

"Apologies Sonic. I did not mean to wake you." I was about to head to the door. "Someone's on the roof. Don't worry, it's a blue aura."

"Maybe, I'll come with. Has been a while since I saw the stars and moon." I nodded at him, and we both went up the stairs to the roof quietly. When we opened the trapdoor, we saw how bright the stars and moon were tonight. It felt truly breathtaking. Near the ledge of the roof, we spotted Arla laying down, also mesmerized by the beauty of the sky. I began to connect Arla, Sonic, and my thoughts once again.

"_Couldn't sleep?"_ Sonic and Arla flinched at my thoughts interrupting theirs but shrugged it off.

"**Yeah."**

"_Lucario here found you still awake. Something tells me it's more than just to stargaze."_

"**You're not wrong. Just worried is all."**

"_About Julia and Subspace?" _I asked. She nodded. "_I have a feeling it's more than that as well."_

"**You have a sharp eye."** Sonic and I sat right next to her. "**I've been doing a lot of thinking about everything. Ever since I came here, I've been wondering why this was stuck onto me." **She showed us the Smash Bracelet once again. "**Why do you think it's stuck?"**

"_Maybe it is a design flaw. MH did say that it did have some bugs." _Sonic suggested.

"**What if there actually was a purpose for me having this?"**

"_What makes you think that?" _I asked.

"**I mean Akidan looks exactly like me, and she was the one that attacked the Smash Mansion, which started all of this. Then, I came along out of all the people on Earth, coincidentally looking like her. I don't think it was mere coincidence."**

"_You have a point. There's a chance that something else other than the usual Subspace attacks are going on here."_

"**Exactly. What if Akidan wanted something specifically from me. I just want answers."**

"_Maybe revenge for stealing her looks," _Sonic jokingly said. Arla and I glared at him. "_Alright, alright I kid. But honestly, you're right, something else could be going on. But, we'll find out eventually, like we always do." _Arla looked up to the sky again, but I could tell another subject popped in her head.

"_Anything else you would like to share?" _I looked at her with a curious look. She snapped out of her trance and turned to us again.

"**This one has been on my mind for a long time. What will happen after this is all over?" **Sonic and I looked at each other wondering why she would ask an obvious question.

"_Isn't it obvious? Everything will go back to normal," _Sonic said.

"**Even my life?" **She thought that last part more quietly. Then, we realized why she said that.

"_You don't want to go back home do you?" _She nodded.

"**There was no real ambition in that life I had. It felt so empty. I know it's selfish of me to think this, but I don't want this adventure to stop. Being here has been the only thing that makes me want to embrace life instead of just going by the story already written down for me. I still want to stay as a Smasher."**

"_Maybe there's a way we can convince Master Hand to let you stay," _I suggested.

"**And if he says no?"**

"_We'll find a way to convince him somehow. I know it,"_ Sonic said with a smile. Arla smiled back and yawned."

"**I guess I'll turn in for the night now. G'night." **She waved goodbye as well as us. When she left, I turned to Sonic with an uncertain look.

"_Are you sure we can convince him to let her stay?" _I sensed doubt in Sonic's thoughts when he said we can convince MH.

"_Honestly, I'm not sure myself, but we can focus on that once this is all over. Besides, giving her some hope is better than no hope at all." _Sonic stretched his limbs as well. "I guess we should head back too." We nodded and went back down the stairs and into our room.

*Next Morning, 3rd Person POV*

After waking up, everyone spread out to the areas of Smash World to find clues on what Subspace was up to. One group, with Link, Zelda, and Lucas, went to investigate around The Ruins. Luckily, Lucas remembered his way around since the last time he came here with Red. As they walked through the corridors and into the Ruined Hall, they heard echoed footsteps behind them. Zelda quickly teleported them behind one of the pillars and saw a large group of Primids with two figures leading them.

"Great, it's Akidan and… Senka?" Link whispered in surprise. Julia, who is back to Senka, wore the armor she had before as well as her dull gray eyes, but no helmet. Behind her and Akidan, the Primids were holding mini device in their hands.

"Those are the Subspace Bombs Master Hand created," Zelda stated. "Why would they want to consume this place?" They watched as the Primids evenly set down the bombs, ready to blow.

"Perfect, let's move to the next area," Akidan commanded. As they were about to leave until Senka began to stumble, her eyes flickering between gray and brown. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I… ain't… done… with...you… yet," Julia struggled to say. Since her first time being controlled, she felt more familiar with its power and started to gain more immunity to it.

"Ugh, give her another dose." The Primids were about to inject her with a syringe with black liquid inside until the three Smashers came out of hiding.

"PK Thunder!" Lucas took out the Primids close to Senka. Then, the PSI kid aimed at Senka. "Sorry about this, PK Freeze!" She was hit by his ice and was frozen inside of a giant ice crystal. One less person to worry about. Link shot an arrow at Akidan, but she ran up the wall and went for a roundhouse kick. Link rolled out of the way and grabbed her with his clawshot, and Lucas used PK Fire at her. While the fight was going on Zelda used her com to contact anyone else.

"If anyone is out there, we need immediate assistance in the Ruined Hall. Akidan is here as well as Senka."

"Sorry princess, but were pinned down too. Fox, Diddy, and I are fighting Subspace jerks and Rayquaza at the Lake," Falco said through his communicator. A roar was heard from his end, and he jumped out of the way. "They have some Subspace Bombs too."

"Same here at the Research Facility, but Petey Piranha is here, along with more bombs," Falcon said. He, Pikachu, and Olimar went as a team. On Falcon's side, a lot of lightning was seen before the screen shut off.

"We have our hands full in The Wilds as well." Meta Knight, Ike, Marth, and Arla were battling Galleom there. Finally, MH came on the screens from the Smash Mansion.

"Everyone in pinned down somewhere. This was probably their plan to separate us, as well as place Subspace Bombs everywhere."

"But, what's their endgame here? That's still a mystery," Meta Knight stated.

"We might be able to get some answers from Akidan. Everyone, try to shake off rest and head to the Ruined Hall."

"Understood." Everyone went offline, and Zelda resumed the flight. Unknown to her, Akidan listened to the whole conversation while fighting off Link.

"_The pieces will be in position soon." _Akidan inwardly smirked before dodging another sword swing from Link. She saw from the corner of her eye Zelda's fire blast and dodged again. Then, she saw Lucas taking care of the Primids and went at him, but Link stopped her by throwing a bomb. She saw both Zelda and Link standing above her with arrows ready.

"Why are you doing this Akidan?" Link interrogated.

"Like hell, you'll understand. Your so-called leader did this to me." The two Hylians looked at each other in confusion. Then, all at once, Akidan got up, pushed them out of the way, attacked Lucas with her sword, grabbed the syringe from the Primid holding it, broke Senka out of the ice, and injected the syringe into her neck. Senka's eyes stopped flickering and followed Akidan backed to battle as commanded. Senka went to attack Link while Akidan had Zelda.

Lucas was still fighting Primids until he saw all of the bombs they held. Then, he used a large blast of PK Thunder, shutting down the bombs. After that, Lucas decided to finish the rest off with his Final Smash.

"PK Starstorm!" Giant energy balls came raining down and took out the entire army as well as the bombs so they couldn't be reactivated.

Link locked swords with Senka trying to take over the other. Then, remembering her fight with Arla, swept Senka's feet from under her then threw a barrage of bombs instantly after. Senka quickly recovered and launched an earth attack from below, but Link quickly put his shield under him to prevent him from flying up. Then, she activated a lightning blast which Link dodged in time and hit Akidan.

"Watch it!" Akidan dodged another light arrow from Zelda. Then, the princess used a fire blast which Akidan jumped over and reacted with a sword coming down. Zelda quickly changed into Sheik and caught it with two hands. As Akidan threw more slashes, Sheik blocked and dodged every one of them. With a hit to the wrist, Sheik made Akidan let go of her sword and kicked her down. Akidan rolled out of the way and picked up her sword.

Once she held her ground, she dodged another arrow, but it wasn't from Sheik but from Arla with her bow she conjured up. Behind her, the rest of the Smashers came in. Akidan turned to Senka to see her slide back next to her after being bashed by Link's shield.

"Alright Akidan, we need answers right now. You've got nowhere to go, so start talking," Link demanded.

"Am I really at a dead end, or are you?" Then, Akidan whistled to Senka which she understood. Senka jumped up to the rocks over the entrance and caused them to collapse, leaving the Smashers stuck inside. "You were so busy with me that you never destroyed our scattered troops." Akidan showed a screen where all the Smashers were fighting the Subspace Army. The Research Facility, The Lake, The Wilds, etc. All the bombs were set, and Akidan held the detonator. The Smashers were frozen in place from realizing how they left the places unprotected, hesitating on what to do next. "Now, you're backed up to a corner and soon checkmate. Though there is a way to save everyone here."

"What do you want?" Mario said, still on guard in case if things went further South. Akidan raised her blade at Arla again. "You went through all of this just to go for her again?!"

"We do whatever it takes, and we did it so no one will find a work-around. I was one step ahead this whole time." She sent them a glare to show she was more serious this time. "Kid, drop your weapons and step away from the group or it's light out for this world. You know the civilians won't survive the explosions." Arla hesitated, looking at the Smashers for an answer. They glanced at her not knowing which choice is better. If she refused, the Smash World will be consumed by Subspace, and if she agreed, Subspace will invade the Smash World regardless. With a final decision, Arla dropped her sword and her metal fans, raising her hand to show she was unarmed and did what she was told.

"Right answer." Akidan sliced up the detonator to keep her word. She grabbed Arla by the wrist and dragged her into the portal she summoned, but as Senka was about to follow, Akidan stopped with a malicious smirk.

"Though, as punishment for not complying the first time…" All of a sudden, Akidan rushed toward Senka and stabbed her by her shoulder. That snapped Senka out of her trance back to Julia, frozen with wide eyes and looking down at her wound. Once Akidan pulled out her blade, Julia fell down like a ragdoll, blood spilling fast. At this, the Smashers began to attack, including Arla. But Akidan kicked her into the portal before she could act.

"The hell?! That wasn't part of the deal!" Samus yelled, firing her gun rapidly.

"Well, I needed to show you that I mean business. I WILL do whatever it takes to be free from that hand's prison, even if it means killing family to do so!" Akidan entered her portal and closed it shut immediately after. Once she escaped, they heard groaning coming from Julia as she held her wound.

"She's losing blood fast. Zelda, can you heal her?" Pit said, making a temporary bandage from a piece of his clothes.

"Not for something that severe, but I have something to stabilize her for a while until she gets better support." Zelda takes out a healing potion, carefully helping Julia sip it. After a few seconds, Julia took large gasps of air due to the injury preventing her from breathing normally. Then, she collapsed slowly, but not before she breathed out a few quiet words.

"Mas... ter… H… and… an… swers." With that, Julia relaxed her muscles soundly. It was hard to make out what she said, but Snake was able to hear it.

"I think we need to have a talk with Master Hand."


	17. Chapter 15: I Want To Be Whole

**The Power of a Voice**

**Chapter 15: I Want To Be Whole**

DK carried Julia on his back as they returned back while Marth grabbed Arla's weapons. While walking, the Smashers were trying to figure out what Akidan was trying to say.

"All she told me and Zelda before was that our 'so-called leader' something to her," Link remembered.

"So Master Hand has something to do with this?" Ness asked.

"Likely, but he never told us anything that ever related to her."

"She also said something about a prison. What if it's Subspace also?" Samus suggested.

"But last time we were there, we never saw her at all," Fox stated.

"She said… Master Hand… banished… her." Everyone saw Julia trying to stand up out of DK's grasp, but he held his grip easily.

"Julia, you should save your strength," Peach said, worried about how much energy she was exerting just to move.

"What do you mean banish?" Falco asked, ignoring Peach's concern.

"(cough) Split… Arla… (cough)" Julia collapsed once again before she could explain any further. This was a lot of new information for them.

"What did she mean about splitting Arla?" Pit felt even more confused. "What does any of this have to do with Subspace?"

"There's something other than the usual Subspace conquest going on. Akidan wants something different from all of this," Sonic said.

"Well, we're about to get our answers." They arrived at the Smash Mansion. Once they entered, Mario carried Julia to the infirmary to get her patched up while everyone else went to Master Hand, who was in the meeting room. All the Smashers had a strict look.

"Were you able to find anything?" Master Hand asked.

"We're about to find some answers, from you," Ganondorf said sternly. "You know something about Akidan."

"What do you mean?"

"Akidan said you locked her away," Lucario explained. "Then, Julia said something about you banishing Akidan and something about splitting Arla. We know it's connected to you."

"I don't remember ever locking her away. In fact, the only one I do remember imprisoning is Tabuu in Subspace a long time ago," MH said. Everyone thought the hand was lying, but when Lucario used his powers to read his aura, the Pokemon looked at MH in surprise.

"He's… telling the truth." Everyone became even more confused about who was being honest. "But I looked into Akidan's aura too. Even without using the aura, it's pretty easy to tell that she wasn't messing around. She had no gain for tricking us."

"Was there anything else you remember putting into Subspace, anything at all?" Zelda asked. MH remained silent until something popped into his mind.

"There was something. A small orb of energy. About 15 years ago, there was a young girl in Reality Earth that held the power to travel to any world, any universe. It was risky for her to have abilities she was not aware of herself, so secretly and easily without being seen, I went to that world to take away her while still young, when she would have no recollection of her seeing me. Nothing painful, and completely unnoticed so she could live her life normally. I sealed that power away in another section of Subspace from Tabuu."

"This is starting to make sense," Snake stated. "What if the girl MH took energy from was Arla when she was really young? Akidan was able to go between Subspace, Smash World, and Mobius with ease. That was the same description as the power MH took, and she looks exactly like Arla. So Arla's powers somehow gained a physical form and decided to work for Tabuu to get revenge for Master Hand trapping her in Subspace."

"You mean I drained the same Arla that is carrying the Smash Bracelet right now? Oh," MH realized and was dumbfounded by the chances.

"So there was a reason for the Smash Bracelet sticking onto her," Lucario said. "Sonic and I discussed with Arla last night thinking if there was more of a reason why it can't be taken off. Maybe Akidan stole the Smash Bracelet in the first place to put an enchantment on it to find her other half, at the same time she will still have the Smash Bracelet in her possession once she becomes whole and give it to Tabuu."

"But Akidan didn't know that the Smash Bracelet will stick onto her after combining, and Tabuu needs a host to use the Smash Bracelet to get out of Subspace. Either way, both goals require taking over Arla's mind," Meta Knight said.

"Well… that certainly cleared… up a lot of stuff." Everyone turned and saw Julia, being supported by Mario, at the entrance with a large white bandage where she was stabbed, her voice still weak from not having her entire strength but better. They were both listening to the hand's story for some time. "Akidan… told me that exact same story… from her perspective, and the… stories match. Though… one specific detail wasn't in your story. The side effect it had on both of them."

"What?" Mario wondered.

"While it was painless, the split caused… them to lose certain traits. Akidan didn't… have a body, but Tabuu was able to use… his powers to give her one. And Arla… lost her voice, and you know how her life played out." Many Smashers stared at her surprised. They all thought that Arla being mute was genetic. They sat/stood in silence, processing all the information until the ground shook. The Smashers all looked outside to see the sky darken with red clouds like the first time it happened.

"Further storytime can wait, we got Subspace to check out before this blows in our faces," Wolf growled as everyone went outside. Master Hand carried Julia back to the infirmary to rest.

"… I'm sorry for… doing that to your sister. I did not know it would cause her to lose her ability to talk, to affect her life so much," MH stammered. He doesn't usually admit or apologize for any mistake he does.

"You'd be surprised what the power of a voice can do for someone. You can apologize directly once she gets back," Julia said exhausted and went back to rest to gain some energy.

*Earlier, Subspace*

"Sir, I have her," Akidan reported to Tabuu with Arla wrapped in dark tentacles from Akidan's new amulet. Tabuu gave a low chuckle.

"Excellent. Now, we shall proceed." As Tabuu was taking over Arla's body, he was letting the energy of the Smash Bracelet run through his host, but Akidan felt a sharp pain coursing through her. She knew that if her own body was hurting from this, then her body is starting to die.

"Damn it! Tabuu hold on! Her body won't survive with all that energy."

"That's the idea. Her own soul will completely disappear in 24 hours, and this body will be nothing but an empty shell."

"But you said you can return me to her body after you harness all the energy from that bracelet. If her soul dies, I die."

"I said you can have her body back, but we never agreed she had to be alive in the aftermath." Akidan's eyes widened, realizing the trick she was played into.

"You knew this would happen. That enchantment you gave me to find my other half… you knew it would also latch onto her permanently. And you knew she wouldn't survive." She clenched her fists with anger as she held her sword ready to strike, but Tabuu now it Arla's body tackled her down and grabbed the amulet around Akidan's neck. With it, Tabuu wrapped Akidan in a Chain of Light, making her drop her sword.

"Why are you complaining? You said before that you would do whatever it took to be free from Master Hand's bind on you to Subspace. You never said that death wasn't an option. Besides, This is punishment for not getting it done the first time, to show you that I mean business. You never took me serious before, so why would I give you mercy now? Sounds familiar doesn't it?" Akidan's body started to glow as she saw herself becoming more transparent. Tabuu was taking out whatever magic supported Akidan's body, turning her back into energy, a spirit.

"And in case you think about rebelling." Tabuu trapped the spirit in a cage of black crystals. She was about to reach out but a purple shock of electricity kept her from doing so. After that, Tabuu summoned a portal with the Smash Bracelet and went to the Smash World, but he kept another portal open. "There, you can watch what your wonderful work has done to the world." He jumped through his portal and closed it, leaving Akidan to watch through the little window she was given. She saw the sky darken surprisingly quick, indicating Tabuu's plans were already in motion.

"Damn it," she muttered, feeling stupid for what she agreed to do. She sat there listening to the silence of the empty Subspace. All she wanted was to be free, but that only lead her to further enslavement. Even if she wanted to see the Smashers to explain everything, would they believe her? She doubted it, for she thought any negativity that was given to her by them, she knew she deserved it.

*Back to the Present*

The Smashers ran outside, fighting off Primids that constantly formed from the Shadow Bugs falling like snow. They saw someone in the distance who had their back towards them. That person wore a black cloak around them with short-sleeved dark obsidian-like armor and a rainbow aura around them. In front of the mystery person were windows to other worlds, each with the same problem as the Smash World. The anthropomorphic animals in Mobius trying to fight off waves of Primids, Toads in the Mushroom Kingdom trying to run from the army, Cappies and Waddle Dees taking cover in Dedede's castle from the attacks, the guards of Hyrule trying to protect their village. It was chaos in all the worlds.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? Your responsible for this aren't you, Akidan?" Ike said with his sword out and ready. All of them thought it was Akidan again with a new look since she is the only person they've seen at all associated with Tabuu. Then, Peach noticed the bracelet on its arm and realized who it was.

"It can't be. No," Peach said quietly, surprised, but everyone heard and saw what she was looking at.

"Akidan has already fulfilled her loyalty to me," The person turned around to reveal Arla with pupilless eyes, possessed by Tabuu. "And now, I will take it from here. Tabuu's back baby!" Tabuu lunged at them ready to finish them off for good.

Mario jumped up went to throw a punch, but Tabuu flanked left and grabbed his wrist, throwing the plumber down. Tabuu began to use Bullet Rain on some Smashers, but Kirby was able to inhale them and shoot back as him. He blocked them with Chains of Light then used it to sweep almost everyone off their feet. Pit and Meta Knight flew up slashing him with their swords, but Tabuu used his Shark Blade to drive them back. Marth rushed in and held him down with his sword. Then Tabuu noticed something else on the Hero-King's belt.

"I believe that's mine." Tabuu kicked Marth off with both feet, at the same time grabbed Arla's katana he held. But, Samus used her plasma whip to grab the blade and launched it far from anyone's reach.

"That sword will never belong to you." Fired a charged shot at him. Tabuu countered it with a Dragon Laser that hit both the blast and the bounty hunter.

"So be it." He used his Shuriken Boomerang to take out another group of Smashers. Sonic and Falcon jumped over it ready to attack with a Spin Dash and Falcon Punch respectively. Tabuu launched Golden Brackets at both of them and hit them dead on. An angry Peach brought down a frying pan on him but was easily caught.

"You let her go you arrogant jerk!" Peach yelled. All he did was smirk.

"Feisty one aren't you? Sorry not sorry, she's long gone." Tabuu tossed her high into the air. Lucario saw this and was able to catch her on time.

"What's he talking about?" Peach asked. Lucario began to read his aura. He found two inside, a blue and red. The red was obviously Tabuu, but as that color grew, the blue one began to fade more and more.

"The more Tabuu stays in Arla's body, the more her soul begins to disappear. Beat Tabuu out of her body before she's gone forever!" Lucario yelled that last part so the Smashers can hear.

"Hmm, that gives me an idea." He showed a devilish smirk before he looked at the Smash Bracelet. Then, he used Sonic's speed to get behind a group of Smashers and knocked them back with Aura Sphere.

"Using the Smash Bracelet. Oh, that's just low!" Sonic remarked as he recovered from the Aura Sphere.

Pikachu used a thunderbolt but was hit by his own attack thanks to Tabuu using a reflector. Charizard flew in to hit Tabuu with his tail. Tabuu reacted with using the Ice Climbers Final Smash, Iceberg. Inside, the dragon's tail flame was dying down until Dedede used his hammer to break the ice with Red behind him put Charizard back in his Pokeball. Bowser was in his shell ready to ram Tabuu, but he used Link's clawshot to grab and launch him back to a couple of Smashers.

"Let's kick it up a notch." Tabuu summoned Falchion and activated Critical Hit, taking out several Smashers on the ground. Then, he saw another group of Smashers behind him and used Volt Tackle on them. He saw a few remaining in the air, ready to attack from above. He used Super Sonic, covering him in a golden aura, and took the rest out in a flash. The Smashers laid on the ground exhausted from the oncoming attacks.

"How can he still keep going? He used several Final Smashes, shouldn't he be tired?" Pit wondered trying to get up like everyone else.

"Well, this isn't my body now, is it? You've haven't been hurting me at all, nor was I overexerting myself. With me in control, she can feel all the pain you throw at her, and she can do nothing but endure it. As fun as this is, I'm now bored of this game." Tabuu looked down and saw the amulet he took from Akidan. "Forgot I had this." Tabuu summoned a large group of dark tentacles underneath the group, caging the Smashers in them, blocking them from ever escaping.

"It's time to end this." Tabuu summoned his Rainbow Wings, prepared to take them all out with his Off Waves. Once charged, he released it with a bright light. The Smashers covered their eyes, ready to take on the impact, but the last thing they felt… was them falling.

Tabuu's attack died down as he saw the results of what he did. With them completely gone without a trace, he cackled, confident that he obliterated them. He saw Arla's katana a few meters away and picked it up to sheath it in his empty scabbard.

"With that little roadblock out of the way, let's get wicked!" Tabuu used his energy through the windows to other worlds, amplifying his army. "Let the Subspace Reign commence."

*Smash Mansion*

Master Hand and Julia, from the infirmary, saw the entire battle. Julia was about to get up and fight, but she fell onto the floor trying to stand.

"You know you can't fight until you recover," MH said.

"By the time that happens, everything will be taken over. And why are you so calm about this?" Julia said, getting back on the bed. MH's body drooped down in sadness.

"It's over. The Smashers are now gone, and all the other worlds' other heroes have their hands full with the Subspace Army. Also, I can't fight Tabuu. If I lost, that's more power to his energy supply."

"But we still have a chance."

"How so!? Huh!? Just tell me what hope do we have with just you and me left!?" he yelled in defeat, but Julia remained calm, inwardly smirking for him not figuring it out yet.

"Who said it was just us?"

"I already told you the other worlds'-"

"I wasn't talking about them either."

"The Smashers are gone, you know that."

"I find that hard to believe. I saw the battle, but you aren't seeing it from my perspective. Someone was missing from the battlefield." This increased the hand's confusion.

"I checked, and every Smasher was present in that fight."

"Who said anything about a Smasher being missing?" MH looked at the footage again and realized who Julia meant. His make-believe eyes widened.

"She can't be trusted."

"Well, she would be fighting next to him if she wasn't." MH began grumbling before he opened another portal.

"You better be right." MH exited through the portal leaving Julia alone in the infirmary. She laid back down.

"I hope so too."

A/N: Underline Words = Tabuu in Arla's Body

As Dr. Strange would say: "We're in the endgame now."


	18. Chapter 16: A Chance

**The Power of a Voice**

**Chapter 16: A Chance**

*Subspace*

In the darkness of Subspace, several figures laid unconscious with visible injuries. One by one they began to wake up.

"Uhh… are we dead?" Dedede groaned. He looked around and saw the black Subspace sky. "Guess not."

"How did we get here?" Mario thought out loud. Many Smashers looked at Sonic, Ness, or Zelda, thinking they could have used either Chaos Control, PK Teleport, or a simple warping spell.

"Don't look at me, I didn't have a Chaos Emerald."

"I didn't have enough PSI energy."

"I used too much magic during our last fight."

"Then, who or what saved us?" As they were trying to figure that out, Lucario began to sense another life, but it felt distorted, glitching in and out of existence, switching between red and blue.

"Wait, someone else is here!" Lucario stated. He began to follow his senses to a makeshift cage made of black crystal. Everyone looked inside and saw Akidan in her glitching spirit form, hugging her knees and covering herself with her old hood, but her face was still visible in shame.

"What do you want?" she snarled, not bothering to look at them.

"Were you the one that saved us?" Samus asked. Remaining silent, Akidan looked further away in embarrassment, but Samus knew the answer. "Thank you."

"That was the least, and all I could do," Akidan responded quietly.

"What happened to you?" Snake interrogated. She said nothing. "Tabuu did this to you didn't he?"

"Why do you care?" she snapped as she glared at them.

"Because we want Arla back, and by back, I mean with her free from Tabuu, both halves of her," Fox replied. Once Akidan heard the last part, she slowly stood up, taking off her hood looking surprised.

"You know."

"Master Hand explained it to us. Look, he didn't know that you would have a conscience."

"Like hell! I'll believe that when I hear that from the asshole himself!"

"Then, I suppose I owe you an apology." Everyone turned and saw Master Hand floating towards them.

"How did you find us?" Zelda asked.

"Julia had a gut feeling Akidan was involved in your escape, so I investigated. Speaking of Akidan…" MH turned to Akidan, but the Smashers thought he was going to give her a lecture saying what she did was foolish. But instead… "I honestly didn't think any of this would happen, so for what it's worth, I'm sorry." The Smashers and Akidan were surprised at what they just heard.

"Did Master Hand just admit and apologize for his mistake," Popo said in disbelief.

"Popo, not now," Nana replied. Then, MH used his magic to heal everyone up and free Akidan from her prison. Akidan hesitated for a bit but nonetheless said her apology for attacking.

"Hey, I'm-"

"There's no need to apologize. We understand," Lucario interrupted. Everyone gave a nod in response. Akidan, surprised by the answer, gave a slow nod back. Suddenly, Akidan started glitching again but more severely, and she dropped to the ground in pain.

"Dang! Arla is still fading away. She probably has a couple of hours left."

"But how do we get Tabuu out of her body? Simply beating him out of her won't do any good since he can't even feel that pain," Snake stated.

"Leave the soul-splitting to me. I think I'll be able to use the same method I used to take Akidan out of Arla. Again, I apologize," MH explained.

"Whatever. Even if you can do it, once he sees you, he'll figure you out easily. The best way to do this is if you all drag Tabuu back into Subspace. Once you have him pinned down, I'll make another portal here. MH will do his bippity-boppity-boo, and I'll be able to jump back inside Arla." Akidan explained. "Be warned that he made it possible for anyone in close range of him to never turn back into a trophy, so you only have one shot, no do-overs. Good luck with that."

"You're not coming with us?" Peach questioned.

"I can't leave Subspace without a physical body, which Tabuu took away."

"Well, what do we do once Tabuu does get out? He'll still be a threat," Toon Link asked.

"We stick to the original plan, taking out Subspace with Tabuu trapped inside," Mario said.

"He's right. While you all try to grab Tabuu, I'll go out and get the Subspace Bombs scattered throughout Smash World and bring them back here to set up," MH said.

"You're making it sound like immobilizing Tabuu will be a chore, we know holding down Arla isn't too hard," Falco commented.

"While we all know Arla isn't the strongest out of all of us, her body has Tabuu's strength, and you know how strong he is." Everyone gave a nod, and Akidan opened a portal for the Smashers to go through with their new objective. Marth stopped and handed Akidan Arla's metal fans.

"You might want these," he said and jumped through as well. Akidan stared at her reflection in the shiny metal. She saw all the cuts and bruises on herself disappearing and smiled.

"_The pain will soon go away."_ She went back to watching the battle, prepared to play her role in the plan.

*Smash World*

The Smashers came out of Akidan's portal a relative distance away from Tabuu unnoticed.

"So do we have a plan to take down Tabuu, or do we run in with guns blazing?" Lucas asked.

"The kid's right. We're trying to only immobilize her long enough for a portal to open up, not off her. Stealth would be the best approach," Fox said.

"Not to mention that he has the Smash Bracelet. It's likely he could use my power to sense us out easily, even if he didn't, his powers and our own can be a difficult challenge," Lucario added. "So how can we approach this?" Suddenly, Snake came up with a solution.

"We don't really need stealth, as long as we are smart about this. Hear me out…"

*Later, Near Smash Mansion*

Tabuu continued to watch all the worlds attempt to fight back the Subspace Army, slowly losing in the process. Currently, Tabuu's actual form was out of Arla but with a ghost tail as his bottom half attached to the back of her body. Arla's body laid slump like a puppet with no strings on the makeshift throne Tabuu made with the katana. She made very minuscule fidgeting movements with her body, trying to regain control. But, her soul was far too faded to gain any control, and while Tabuu was spiritually out of her body, they were still connected, Tabuu being dominant. Soon, he began to hear multiple footsteps and turned around to see the Smashers back at full health again. Though surprised, he kept his composure.

"Still alive? Whatever, let's get this over with." Tabuu traveled back into Arla's body again, gaining full control without hassle. "It's time to finish what I've started."

"_Just remember everyone we need to stall. Don't waste too much energy on him just to beat him,"_ Lucario telepathically said to everyone. From their looks, he knew they understood.

Falcon came first for a Falcon Kick, dropping Tabuu hard. Bowser jumped high to stomp on him, but Tabuu used Arla's grapple to move aside. Wolf went hand to hand with him next with his claws. While distracted, Snake launched a missile which hit Wolf when Tabuu realized it in time and dodged. Next, he used a lightning move. Pikachu came in and absorbed it and sent it back to him. Tabuu was sent back to Pit with a Light Arrow waiting. The angel took several shots but ended up absorbed in the blade. Mario rushed in with a flaming fist which Tabuu caught with ease. As he held the Italian's fist, he began to twist it until Mario was on his knees.

"Look at you, thinking you are able to beat me." Peach hit him in the back of the head with a frying pan, causing him to let go of the fist and Mario uppercut him. Ness uses PK Flash while he was slightly stunned, making him dizzier. Once he opened his eyes, he was hit in the side of the head this time by Dedede's hammer. Tabuu wobbled around, and Dedede and Ness fist-bumped.

"Looks like confusing him in the head seems to work a lot," Ness analyzed.

"I mean, he is only occupying the mind. That would make sense," Dedede added as he blocked a laser shot from Tabuu.

"Jig Jiggly Puff… (If that's true, in that case…)" Jigglypuff opened her mouth wide, everyone covering their ears, for they knew what will happen next. Then, she sang her deadly lullaby, and Tabuu wobbled even more, trying to resist the urge to tire out. He activated his rainbow wings in an attempt to get away. From that, Jigglypuff stopped singing and looked at Snake. He nodded.

"Ok everyone, like we planned. Samus, Link, you're up." The bounty hunter and Hylian took out their plasma whip and clawshot to grab Tabuu's arms. Their heels dug into the ground, trying to not fly up with Tabuu who continued to fly up even with the weight. Samus gained support from Peach and Zelda while Link had help from Marth and Ike. Both sides slowly brought down Tabuu.

"You think you can hold me?!" he said ferociously. He still had Arla's blade in her hand, and he charged up the sword to unleash another pulse.

"Falco, the sword!" Falco aimed his gun at Tabuu's hand and shot the sword out of it, and he slid down to pick it up and sheath it in his belt. But, Tabuu had one more trick as his wings began to glow to send out an Off-Wave.

"Sonic, you know what to do!"

"Roger!" Like last time, the blue blur swiftly broke Tabuu's wings, making him fall to the ground. "Wow, falling for the same attack twice. Even I would be embarrassed with such a bad rep." The two sides restraining Tabuu pulled hard enough to have his arms spread out, unable to reach anything. But, he still had the strength to stand as he slowly stood up.

"Alright, Ness, stun again, and Lucas, get him to chill out." Ness used another PK Flash which made Tabuu fall to his knees again, and Lucas froze his legs with PK Freeze. Pit stood ready behind him with bow drawn in case he summons his wings again. Snake's plan worked out flawlessly. Once Tabuu was completely immobilized, Snake contacted Akidan with his codec.

"Akidan, we have Tabuu. Make a portal now!" They waited for something to happen. A dark portal conjured up over the restrained god, but before he could get consumed by it, it began to glitch and diminish. Many Smashers grew worried that something went wrong. "Akidan! What's keeping you?!"

"I-I'm s-s-s-sor-r-ry. T-t-too much of Ar-r-rl-l-la's soul ha-a-as b-be-e-een fa-a-a-aded. I-I d-d-don't have en-n-nou-u-ugh en-n-nergy," Akidan replied, glitching between words. Snake gritted his teeth, trying to think of another way to get Tabuu back into Subspace.

"You think I would fall or that trick!? I know what you're planning!" Tabuu cackled. He came back to his senses and gave off a thunderbolt on the two ropes on his arms, electrocuting the six Smashers that held on. He pulled on them, making Samus and Link crash into Pit, Ness, and Lucas. Then, he used Mario's fireballs to melt the ice under him. Before Tabuu could make another attack, Lucario got on top and grabbed his head. Tabuu threw him over his body down to the other Smashers. However, for a brief moment, Lucario was able to glimpse into his aura again and found Arla almost completely gone, but whatever she did have left of herself, it was sparkling immensely.

"_Arla's still in there, and she's fighting back."_ The Smashers kept heading for Tabuu, but he kept pushing them back. During the whole fiasco, Lucario closed his eyes, blocking out all the noise, thinking of a way to get Arla soul to stay out for a bit longer. Then, without hesitation, he snapped his eyes open ready to get his plan in action. He saw Sonic and Mario get sent in the air from a Chain of Light and caught them in time.

"Geez, now how do we get him into Subspace?" Mario said frustratedly, rubbing his head.

"I know what to do. Just get him restrained again."

"Like we haven't tried that already," Sonic replied sarcastically. "Plus, I'm pretty sure he won't fall for the same trick twice."

"Heads up!" Fox blocked an oncoming Aura Sphere from Tabuu and looked back at the three Smashers. "If you three are done planning, we could really use some assistance."

"Lucario here says that we should restrain him again." Fox raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Yes. Arla isn't entirely gone yet, and right now she's resisting with everything she's got, but it's too little. I'm going to try and amplify her aura temporarily with my energy. It should be enough for Akidan to get enough energy to summon a portal. I just need you to get him to hold still," Lucario explained. The other three glanced at each other and nodded, realizing that any plan they are willing to try at this point.

"Time to stall." Sonic used his Final Smash to turn into his super form, fending Tabuu off for Fox, Mario, and Lucario to explain the plan to the others.

"You better be sure about this," Luigi remarked.

"Well, we don't have anything else to go on," Fox said. Then, they saw Super Sonic fly over their head and crash down to the ground, reverting back to his blue self.

"Enough is enough." Suddenly, he spread out his wings again to try another Off-Wave, but Pit and Zelda used their Light Arrows to destroy them once again.

"Three times!" Sonic laughed out as he picked himself up. Snake saw this as the opportunity.

"Alright, Link, Samus, let's try this again." Samus and Link began to use the same tactic from before to restrain him, but Tabuu saw it coming and grabbed the whip and chain. He pulled on them again which made both Smashers crash into each other. Ness and Lucas went and used PK Thunder which was blocked by Link's shield Tabuu summoned. It was obvious that the Smashers' plan won't work again.

"He isn't gonna fall for it," Olimar said.

"Yeah, we gotta mix it up a bit. Become more unpredictable." Snake looked at all the Smashers to see what factors he can work with. "Ok, Pikachu aim for Fox's reflector. Fox, jump up behind Tabuu." The mercenary and Pokemon glanced at each other before following orders. Pikachu looked right in front of Tabuu and launched a bolt of lightning. The god simply moved his body and inch, just as Pikachu expected it. Fox activated his reflector behind Tabuu which the bolt bounced off of it and hit the god straight in the back. It tossed him to Wolf, who slashed Tabuu with his claws in another direction.

"Next, Sonic, start spinning. Everyone with shields, hammers, or bats surround Tabuu." Mario, Luigi, and Dedede had their hammers. Link, Toon, and Pit with their shields. And Ness with a bat. The seven Smashers formed around Tabuu, and Sonic began to spin dash in place. "Mario, start it off." The red plumber swung with a large swing at Sonic and sent him flying fast to another Smasher, hitting Tabuu in the process. It was a game of ping pong with Sonic as the ball until Tabuu was completely dizzy and fell.

"That's enough. Now, Bowser, Ganondorf, DK tackle!" Bowser and DK held one arm each in place while Ganondorf got the legs. It was a bit of a struggle for them because of Tabuu's strength inside.

"Lucario, it's now or never!"

"Well done Snake!" Lucario complimented. He grabbed Tabuu's head and began to concentrate with the aura. As his body began to light up with light blue, so did Tabuu's as he began to struggle more.

"No! What are you doing?! Aaaaarrrrgggghhh!" Arla's pupils in her eyes slowly began to show, indicating that Arla was beginning to take control again with Lucario's aid.

"**I… c-can't keep t-this up… forever!"** Arla struggled to say telepathically to Lucario.

"_Just hang on a little bit further!"_

"**For what?!" **Then she saw a more stable black portal above her, recognizing that it's Akidan's portal.

"_For that!"_ The portal moved down on them, taking in Lucario, Bowser, DK, and Ganondorf. Then, the portal stood up vertically, and the other Smashers followed.

*Subspace*

As everyone entered, they saw the other four in fighting stances. Tabuu got free of their grip and was back in control. Akidan is almost close to disappearing, her body glitching nonstop and only her outline showed. She laid on the ground nearly unconscious.

"What was the point of bringing me here?! To make me feel ashamed for what I did to her? I never cared for her."

"No, they brought you here to deal with me." Master Hand used two fingers and shot a yellow laser at Tabuu, paralyzing him in the air and starting the split. Tabuu's real body can be seen fading in and out of Arla's body.

"What is happening?! What are you doing to me?!" Soon, Tabuu was pushed right out, and Arla's body fell to the floor unconscious. Tabuu flew down fast, reaching out to his host until he was stopped by a Falcon Punch. He saw all the Smashers charge at him.

"Keep him away from Arla!" Mario shouted as he swung his hammer. During the fight, Akidan was struggling to get up since she used the last of her remaining energy to create a portal. Her body was a meter away from the spirit, but it felt like a mile to her.

"_I can't hang the white flag now. Not when I'm so close."_ Akidan thought as she wobbled on her feet. After a step, she was about to fall over if a gloved hand didn't catch her in time.

"I got ya," Sonic reassured. Even though Akidan didn't have a physical body, Sonic was still able to carry her bridal style thanks to the energy in Subspace. The hedgehog rushed over to Arla's body and merged Akidan with her rightful owner, but she still laid unconscious. Sonic looked down at her wrist and realized something was missing. "Wait, what? Where is…" He looked up and found what he was looking for on Tabuu. "Aw crap."

Having enough of this, Tabuu blasted a wave of energy, sending the Smashers back. "Why am I even bothering with any of you now that I've got this." He showed the Smash Bracelet. When Tabuu was pushed out, he was able to keep a grip on the bracelet since he was able to control most of its powers.

"Well now that you're out, we don't have to pull our PUNCHES!" Link yelled as he jumped up and all of a sudden SLICED off Tabuu's hand with the bracelet in tow!

"AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH! You bitch!" Tabuu screamed in pain. Everyone stared at the Hero of Time, surprised that he would even try that.

"Damn!" everyone commented.

"Oh come on. You guys would've tried the same thing," he deadpanned. Tabuu wasn't bleeding since his body wasn't entirely real, so he conjured up a new hand despite his pain. His old hand faded leaving only the Smash Bracelet. Zelda quickly picked it up and was ready to retreat with the rest of the Smashers.

"We got all we needed. Master Hand, are they set?" Zelda asked.

"Absolutely." With a snap of his fingers, the bombs appeared out of camouflage mode and brought out a timer with 3 minutes counting down, and a portal was made near them.

"Oh no, you don't. If I'm not allowed to leave this place, neither are you!" Tabuu activated the amulet he was also able to hold on to. Dark tentacles emerged from the ground and wrapped everyone in them, including MH and Arla who was still unconscious. He began to squeeze them really tight.

"Can't… breath," Fox wheezed out. They saw the timers had one minute remaining.

"The portal's… closing," Pit realized since MH couldn't concentrate on his magic. Just before it did close, someone jumped out of it. She looked up at Tabuu and jumped on the tentacles. Once it the air, she tackled Tabuu, but he was able to kick her off. He reached for his amulet one more time to realize it wasn't there anymore.

"Sorry I'm late everyone," Julia said as she smashed the necklace, freeing everyone. Tabuu flew down in rage to attack. MH raised a shield around everyone. 30 seconds were left.

"Why do we always cut these things close?" Toon muttered, worried that they can't get out.

"Master Hand, get us out of here!" Marth yelled.

"Not while I'm doing this." MH's shield began showing cracks as Tabuu kept punching at it.

"Then we'll make one." Zelda used the Smash Bracelet to create another portal within the shield.

_**5**_

"Let's-a go! Mario said as he led everyone through the portal.

_**4**_

Julia carried Arla with her into the portal.

_**3**_

"See you never." MH stopped using his power on the shield and escape just as it closed.

_**2**_

Tabuu broke through and saw everyone gone.

_**1**_

"NO!" Tabuu screamed.

_**Goodbye :-)**_

All the Subspace bombs blew up with Tabuu in range. The whole place fluctuated into craziness as it began to collapse on itself until its existence became no more, even Tabuu's.

*Arla's Mind*

Akidan floated and roamed around. She felt fine but weak. All that was there was a single little light, a star even, but she figured out what… no who it was.

"Looks like I'm in for the waiting game," Akidan muttered. She held the small star in her hands lightly. It began flickering and the shape of a person flickered in and out of existence. Akidan sighed. "Don't worry, I'm here."


	19. Chapter 17: The Long Wait

A/N: This chapter will have a lot of time jumping and place changing. This might feel like a bunch of one-shots all fit into one. Hope you enjoy!

**The Power of a Voice**

**Chapter 17: The Long Wait**

*Three Days Later*

Everyone easily recovered from the Subspace Reign, so Master Hand was giving them plenty of assignments to help everyone in the other worlds clean up. While they were all annoyed by the hand's decision, he was right. No matter where they are, Subspace was their responsibility to take care of. Luckily, they didn't have to look out for any Shadow Bugs or Primids that remained. When Subspace vanished, so did its army. Master Hand was checking just in case there was even a speck of that dimension left. Eventually, they finished cleanup at a surprisingly fast rate. Not much was damaged as they thought, so they went back to the Smash Mansion to continue the Smash Tourney once again.

Arla was put into the infirmary since they escaped. Three days and she never woke up. Mario and Lucario were still trying to figure out why she wouldn't. Mario said that her life signs were fine, but Lucario said that her aura was extremely weak, close to disappearing. Then, Sonic, Fox, and Julia came in to check on them.

"She still isn't up?" Fox asked.

"Yeah, Tabuu must've drained a lot more energy than we thought," Mario replied. "She's breathing, but it looks like she's in some sort of coma."

"What about Akidan?"

"Last I saw her, I put her back in her body," Sonic said. "I don't know if she's also having trouble in there or that she's the cause of that trouble."

"Well, she better wake up soon or else it's gonna be hard to find an excuse to why I'm back and she isn't," Julia said.

"You're going back home already?"

"I'm leaving in a couple of hours. Master Hand is letting me keep the Smash Bracelet until she wakes up. Though, when I asked him what he will do with it after I give it back, he kept that part a secret."

"That's Master Hand alright." Lucario rechecked Arla's aura and found it to be slowly growing. "She'll recover, but I don't know for how long. It could be weeks until she reawakens at this rate."

"At least that gives me an excuse to visit all of ya." Everyone gave a small laugh. "I'm honestly wondering if she's a lot happier staying like this. This postponed her trip back to Reality Earth."

"But she can't enjoy life here either," Mario said.

"True, but we might never know, the thing's useless." Julia held up the mini translator Arla had on her, torn and destroyed during the last battle.

"Now that I think about it, with Akidan back in her body, will Arla be able to speak again? You said that Akidan had her voice in the first place."

"Possibly." Then, Link came rushing into the infirmary.

"Fox, there you are. Our next match will start in 10 minutes."

"Aw crap, I forgot the tournament is already back up. Sure, I'll get ready." Suddenly, Julia's head snapped up with an idea.

"Hey, um, I haven't seen the tournament at all since I got here. Do you think maybe I could…"

"If you want to watch? Yeah, of course."

"No, if I could be a part of just… one match?" she asked hesitantly. They glanced at each other with unsure looks.

"Are you sure about that? You can't turn into a trophy," Link said.

"Can't MH let me temporarily turn into a trophy?"

"I suppose he can… alright, let's ask." Everyone left to MH's office. Julia took one last look at Arla, still asleep.

"Stay safe," she sighed as she closed the door. What she didn't see was Akidan's spirit that appeared after she left. She turned to the door than to Arla's body and sighed as well.

"_Looks like it's just you and me now," _she thought as she disappeared back in her body.

*Later*

The winner is: FOX!

"Mission complete!" Fox showed his victory pose while Link and Julia clapped.

"OH GEEZ!" Julia panted as she stepped out of the simulator. MH gave the ok to let her have one match, but when she fought, she never realized how exhausting it was until after a few minutes. Her opponents, Fox and Link stepped out as well and saw her on the ground. They gave a slight chuckle. "Yeah, laugh it up." She got up and stretched her limbs, giving the other two a joking glare.

"You said you wanted a battle, not like we were going to hold back. Besides, Arla had several sparring matches with us and came out fine," Link said.

"She makes it look so easy. Then again, she had a lot more training than me." Then, we all saw the clock. It was close to sunset. "Shoot, I better get moving before Master Hand gets mad. Nice seeing y'all," Julia waved and left.

After a few minutes, Julia was already at the front of the mansion by herself. She didn't have a lot of stuff to pack since she didn't expect to stay at all there. All she had was a backpack of a few extra clothes. She already said her goodbyes to everyone individually. As she was about to leave, MH came out.

"I put Reality Earth into the bracelet, and don't worry, I checked and that enchantment is gone now so you can take it off freely. Remember to give it back once she's up," he reminded sternly.

"Yeah yeah, I heard the other five times you told me. But, you still haven't told me what you're gonna do with it."

"That's for me to know and-"

"For me to NOT figure out. Fine, but you better tell me when it does come to it."

"Deal."

"Well, it's come to my attention that you haven't made a decision yet to make Arla an official Smasher."

"You already know my answer," MH said with no hesitation. Arla simply sighed.

"It wouldn't hurt to take that leap of faith." Without another word, Julia created a portal a jumped through. MH pondered her last words for a while before shaking it off and leaving, returning to their own version of normal life.

*One Month Later*

"Pika! Pika! Pika! Pika… CHUUUU!" The yellow Pokemon shot a powerful thunderbolt from all directions nearly hitting his other three competitors. Currently, a free-for-all battle is between Pikachu, Meta Knight, Luigi, and Lucas on the stage Pirate Ship. Meta Knight flew up to dodge the attack, Luigi ducked under it, and Lucas countered it with his PK Thunder.

Luigi used his missile form and struck Pikachu far back. Then, Pikachu quickly scurried over to his and leaps up to attack with his tail. The green plumber put his guard up then hits back with a barrage of punches. It caused Pikachu to land at the ledge, and Luigi knocked him into the blast zone with a fire punch.

Meta Knight went straight for Lucas with a Mach Tornado. Lucas pulled out his Rope Snake and caught him in time and sent him back. Then, Meta used his drill attack and hit Lucas back close toward the other ledge until the PSI kid jumped up before he went too close. This caused the lone swordsman to go to the ledge, but he was able to hold on in time. Once he lifted himself up, he was met with PK Freeze from Lucas since he expected Meta Knight to do that. With one last burst of PSI, Lucas launches Meta out too.

That left Luigi and Lucas left standing. They rushed at each other. Lucas threw some PK Fire blasts. Luigi dodged them all and hit Lucas with his hammer. Over the ledge, Lucas pulled out Rope Snake to latch on the ledge. Once he launched himself up, he threw a punch at Luigi with a boost of PSI. Once Luigi was in the air, Lucas jumped up and used PK Thunder to send him flying higher and out of the stage.

The winner is: LUCAS!

"Woo!" he cheered jumping up and down while the others clapped. After they came out of the simulator, they shook hands with one another and went to check on the schedule. On their way, they were surprised to see Julia looking at it as well.

"Hey, Julia!" Lucas greeted cheerfully as they saw her.

"Pika Pi!" The Pokemon said hugging her leg. Julia went down to his level scratching his chin.

"Hey, guys. Sorry, for the unexpected visit. I only tell Master Hand when I'm coming back. Emailing him is a lot easier than I thought. You might see me pop in and out of here a couple of times, but don't expect me to sign up for any matches."

"Are you here to check up on Arla?" Meta Knight asked.

"Yeah, is she up yet?" They all shook their heads. "Seriously."

"Not since last month. Not even a tense muscle, but still alive according to Lucario."

"What about you, what happened after you went home? How did it go with your parents?" Luigi wondered.

"Um…"

*Flashback*

"Ok, let me get this straight. For the past few months that you and Arla were missing, you teamed up with people that were meant to be only video game characters to us, went on an insane journey where there was a chance that you could've gotten killed but Arla somehow couldn't, got possessed by their enemy to join them, were freed from said enemy with the price of Arla getting possessed, then helped those heroes in freeing Arla which caused her to go into a COMA!" Julia's mother summarized. She was sitting across from Julia who was sitting on a couch looking surprisingly calm.

"That pretty much sums it up," Julia replied.

"Are you sure I'm not allowed to see her?" Mrs. Nadika gave a worried look.

"Yep, Master Hand's orders. I'm not even supposed to tell you any of this, so I'm hoping you can keep this a secret between us and dad. I ain't breaking my promise any more than this."

"Fine. But are you sure she's alright."

"35 fighters are in one single mansion with her. I'm sure they know what they're doing. Besides with this, I'll be able to visit to check up on her." She showed the Smash Bracelet.

"Isn't that the same thing that started this mess in the first place."

"Yeah, but I'll be fine I have dad's trusty badass sword too, the copy at least," she said confidently as she left to her room.

"That confidence is going to kill you." Julia simply waved not looking back. "(Sigh) Kids."

*Present*

"…Surprisingly well." Julia said, sparing them any details. "Alright, I'm off, bye! Tell everyone I said hi" She left out the mansion and back to her world.

"Pi (That felt oddly sudden.)" Pikachu said.

"Yep," Lucas said as he went off to his next match. Near them, Lucario was listening to them talk with Julia and decided to check on Arla himself. He arrived at the infirmary to see her still asleep. He checked her aura and found it slowly growing.

"Still at a normal rate," he muttered before leaving again.

*October 31, About 4 Months Later*

"AWW YEAH! IT'S HALLOWEEN!" Toon Link yelled. He and the other kid Smashers were out in the neighborhood of Smashville going trick-or-treating. Toon was dressed up as Frankenstein.

"I bet I got more candy than you," Popo challenged.

"No, I have more," Nana said. The Popo was dressed as peanut butter while Nana was jelly.

"I have 300," Popo confirmed. Nana paused with wide eyes until her face turned into a smile.

"350." Popo pouted as Nana jumped in victory. Ness and Lucas also came along with stacks of candy. Ness went as a caveman, and Lucas went as a Pokemon trainer with the help of Red.

"Look at all of this. We're gonna have stomach cramps for weeks," Ness commented.

"Pikachu (They even had candies especially for Pokemon.)" Pikachu said happily as he and Kirby came to the group. Pikachu pretended to be a cat. Kirby went as Spark Kirby. All he had to was inhale one of Pikachu's attacks.

"You guys, it's getting late out. I don't want to miss the Halloween party back at the mansion," Pit said. He volunteered to go watch the kids so they wouldn't lose track of time. Ironically, he dressed up as a devil.

"Alright, let's go!" Toon exclaimed as they all raced back to their residence. When they came back, they saw everything Halloween themed. Music could be heard inside. They saw everyone dancing and showing off their costumes.

"Welcome back. How was trick-or-treating?" Peach asked. She decided to dress up as a ballerina.

"It was great! Look at all the candy we got." The kids went over to the table and dumped all their candy on top. They each grabbed a handful and started chowing it down. Julia came too. She was wearing a pirate costume.

"So, this is what a Halloween party feels like," she said a bit loudly over the music to Snake and Samus. Samus was an FBI agent, and Snake went as a ninja, borrowing a sword from his friend Raiden.

"First time for us too," Samus said.

"Sounds like you've never celebrated Halloween either. What were your parents too strict to celebrate Halloween?" Snake said.

"No, we celebrated Halloween. We just got too bored with it since it was only trick-or-treating. This is my first time at a Halloween party, and it's great!" Julia replied. Then, she stopped dancing for a moment and looked at the hall that went to the infirmary. She began to walk over there, and Snake and Samus followed as well. When she arrived at the infirmary, she peeked through and saw Arla still in her coma. She was a bit surprised.

"_Even with all that music, and she still hasn't woken up," _she thought. "_If only she can enjoy this."_ The other two fighters came in as well and realized why she came here.

"Oh yeah. We've been trying to wake her up through other methods," Snake stated.

"Like…"

"Blow horns, music in general, nothing too painful."

"Too painful?"

"We…may have used a couple of small shocks from Pikachu."

"We also tried to have Kirby swallow her hand to see if she would be engrossed by it. Not a single flinch," Samus added.

"We even tried the Kick."

"The what!?" Julia was already surprised by their methods.

"You know the feeling in your sleep that makes you feel like you're about to fall over? We tried something like that. Nothing."

"Hmm…" Julia saw how there weren't any decorations around the infirmary. "Do you guys have any more Halloween decorations?" They nodded. "If we can't have her wake to join the party, we'll take the party to Arla."

On the dance floor, Sonic was busting some moves in his werehog form. He was able to borrow a bit of Dark Gaia energy for his 'costume'. Lucario, Mario, and Fox were dancing near him. Lucario was a mad scientist, Mario was his brother and vice versa with Luigi, and Fox was a vampire. Then, Lucario noticed Snake, Samus, and Julia going back to the infirmary with decorations in their hands.

"Where are they going?" Lucario said to his friends. They quietly followed them to find the infirmary with some decorations up.

"Are you sure Arla will even notice any of this?" Samus asked, putting black and orange streamers on the windows.

"I'd like to think she is," Julia replied, adding cobwebs to the corners. "Thanks for the help."

"So this is what you're up to," Fox said as he entered with the other three.

"Yeah, it's a mini-party for Arla," Samus said.

"Might as well make it feel like one," Mario said as he brought out wine glasses and sparkling cider, giving a filled cup to each person. "To Arla's future."

"To Arla's future." Everyone said as they raised their glasses. As Lucario took a sip, he thought he saw someone right by Arla's bed, but it disappeared once he saw it.

"_Akidan?"_ Lucario thought as he stared where it once stood.

"Something up?" Sonic asked in a gruff voice.

"Might've been just me." They returned to having fun at their secret party. In her invisible form, Akidan watched them celebrate. She closed her eyes and changed her clothes to look like the grim reaper.

"_Good enough. Suits my state. Woooo~" _she thought, pretending to float around like a ghost.

*December 25*

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle down the halls, oh what fun it is to see, the gifts for one and all~" Peach sang skipping down the halls with both Zelda and Marth following her, tired from her waking them up frantically.

"Peach, I know you're excited, but did you have to wake us up, five in the morning?" Zelda asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Of course, I want to make sure we all have a long day of Christmas together. Besides, I'm not the only one that's waking everyone up." They saw Lucas and Ness go into Mario and Link's room. They quickly went out and into the next room followed by the owners of the room slowly walking out in their sleepwear.

"We're up," Mario and Link said in unison. Mario gave a small yawn, and Link stretched his arms out. They all walked into the living room and saw several presents under the Christmas tree. Soon, everyone came in with their sleepwear. Some were still half asleep while others were just as hyped up as the ones who woke them up.

They began picking up presents one by one. Kirby got a new backpack to put his food in. Zelda got a brand new furry scarf. All the Pokemon Red has got new Pokeballs with their elemental symbols on them. Sonic got a new guitar. Snake got a sniper rifle. Some were surprised that someone would give him a gift so deadly. Lucas got a snow globe with a sunflower field inside.

Soon all the presents were almost gone except for one. It was an average-sized box, and it was addressed to all the Smash Brothers from… Arla?! Everyone became confused until MH gave Mario the envelope that came with the present. He opened it up and read it out loud.

_**Dear Smashers,**_

_**Hey y'all. Sorry I couldn't come this time around. I have a Christmas party at home to attend. Though I was the one who made those gifts in the box, it was Arla's idea. During one of our training days in the mansion, Arla wanted to make a gift before she went back to Reality Earth. Since it's likely she's still unconscious, I did it for her. It did take a while, so you better like it. It's a Christmas gift this time instead of her parting gift, but a gift is still a gift. Hope you like it.**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Julia Nadika**_

Then, he went over to open the box and saw what was inside. There were mini charms shaped of the symbols of the Smash Balls and made of stained glass. There were only two colors each instead of rainbow colors. No two charms had the same exact pair of colors. In the corner of the charms, there were different symbols for each of their worlds. Some had the power-up mushrooms, some with the triforce, some with the Pokemon symbol, and etc. Mario laid them all in the center of the room so people can figure out who's charm is who's. Even if they couldn't figure it out, on the black lines that make the uneven intersection, each one had a different Smasher's name. There was even one for Master Hand.

"These are remarkable," Marth said to himself as he held his up to the light.

"Poyo!" Kirby was jumping around with joy with his charm in his hand.

"I doubt she did this by herself, but it's at least something," Wolf said as he looked at his.

"_Yet there's no present for her," _Fox thought as he looked at the empty Christmas tree. "Maybe we can make some present for her."

"But what, we don't even know what she likes," Ike said.

"We know someone who does."

*Reality Earth*

Julia was dressed up all fancy as she sat down with other people. She was at her family friends' Christmas party as explained in the letter. She was in the middle of conversing with them.

"Then I said 'now that's a katana'," Julia finished her joke, earning her a chuckle from everyone. Then, her phone vibrated. She briefly looked down and saw a call from the Smash World, her eyes widen. "Sorry, gotta take this, it's important." She went to the nearest bathroom and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey again, merry Christmas."

"Oh, Fox hi. Wait, who else is with you?"

"Everyone else," Sonic said. MH put his phone (I know, weird right?) on speaker for everyone to pitch in.

"I'm surprised my signal can reach across dimensions."

"Master Hand made that possible for any phone or com we have," Mario said. "We really want to talk to you about something."

"This isn't the best time. Make it quick."

"We just want to know what Arla would want for Christmas."

"That's tough. She never believed in Santa when we were kids, so she never made a Christmas list. But, when I asked her, all she did was point to her heart. My guess that means she can accept any present as long as you put a lot of thought into it." Then, Julia heard a knock at the door. "Sorry guys, I really have to go. Bye." She hung up and quickly left.

*Smash World*

"Any idea what could be just that?" Link asked anyone.

"Likely, we make the gift ourselves like how Arla planned our gift," Peach said.

"What do you suppose we do, make a charm like this with her color schemes?" Falco asked sarcastically. Everyone stared at him with realization. "What?"

It took about an hour to make since they didn't know where to start, but a group of Smashers made a charm similar to their own thanks to ROB downloading a guide on how to make one, but it was a bit more sloppy. While some Smashers worked on it, many decided to play in the snow before too much melted from the sun or simply didn't have the patience to make one.

"This could've gone worse," Snake commented.

"Snake, don't think like that. We did try our best," Zelda said as she held it up to see it complete. They went to the infirmary where Arla still slept soundly.

"Still asleep," Link said. The Princess of Hyrule was about to put it next to Arla on the table until she paused.

"Not yet." They looked at her in confusion. "If we want to give this to her, then I'd prefer we give it to her in person."

"I suppose that does show that we even put thought into giving a gift," Sonic said.

"Exactly, so we'll all wait until she wakes up. I know she will soon." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Right now, let's have some fun in the snow!"

"Last one out there is a stinky goomba," Mario said as he raced out first followed by Snake, Zelda, Link, Sonic, Lucario, and Falco. Suddenly, Falco stopped and looked back at Arla. Lucario noticed this.

"Something wrong?" Lucario stopped and looked back at him.

"Even if we did make a present for her, we should at least give her something today," Falco realized. He raced out of the room and went in the opposite direction from everyone else towards the rooms. After a few minutes, he came back with Arla's katana. After the battle of the Subspace Reign, Falco kept it so it wouldn't get lost again.

"You're giving it to her now?" Lucario found it odd that he even kept it in the first place for that long.

"Yeah, because the upgrades are finally done." Falco laid her katana on the side table with a bow and note on top. Then, he laid down fingerless gloves with light blue lining with tron-like designs.

"What upgrades?"

"Fox, Samus, and I may have tinkered with it a couple of times."

"Alright. Let's hurry up, I won't be turning into a goomba."

"Yes, you are." Falco and Lucario raced down to where the others are. After they left, Akidan emerged from Arla's body and saw the gift. Then, she looked down on herself and saw all the remaining injury marks on her body slowly disappear. She put on a small grin before returning back.

*3 Months Later*

"Pika Pika (Mail's here!)" Pikachu quickly ran down to get the door as well as Red, Toon Link, and Ness.

"Never thought of you being excited for mail Pikachu," Toon Link remarked.

"Well, the Pokemon's Pokepuff delivery finally came and you know how they love those treats," Red explained.

"Oh, do you mind if we tried some of those?" Ness asked.

"I wouldn't trust me. Last time I tried those, they tasted like cat food."

"Pi Pika Pi (We simply have different tastes.)" They opened the door they saw the mailman carrying two packages and two envelopes.

"Thanks again Samuel," Red said as they quickly grabbed it out of his hands and raced to open them. After they closed the door, the mailman chuckled.

"They're like kids ready for Christmas every day," he said quietly before leaving. He found amusement in taking this route for mail duty.

"Alright! Pokemon Party!" Red cheered along with Pikachu. "Did you guys expect anything?"

"Yeah, my folks back home wanted me to restock on heart containers," Toon Link replied. He opened the other package up and found three of them. "What about you Ness?"

"I won a GameDrop gift card online." He looked and found it in one of the envelopes. Then, he reached for the other one, curious about who it's for. "Hey guys, I found a letter for Arla."

"It's likely from Julia then," Red realized. Ness was about to open it until Red stopped him. "Should you really be opening that? It could be something private."

"But, Julia already knows that Arla is still unconscious. If anything, she expected us to read this." Ness opens it up to find a card inside and reads what's on it.

_**Dear Arla,**_

_**I'm sorry I won't be able to make it this year to your birthday. Something came up at the last minute. I hope you are awake. Happy Birthday!**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Julia Nadika**_

The four Smashers stared at the letter with wide eyes.

"It's her birthday today?!" Toon realized.

"I don't think we even have enough time to set up a proper party, nor can we set one up since Arla isn't up yet," Ness said.

"But we planned something," Red said. They all looked at each other and figured out a plan.

"Pokemon Themed Birthday Party!" They all cheered as they raced down to the infirmary once again. On the way they passed Bowser and Dedede who looked at them, confused.

"Well if you gotta go, you gotta go," Dedede said, him and Bowser shrugging their shoulders.

Later they set up the infirmary for a mini birthday party with Ness, Toon, Pikachu, and Red with all his Pokemon. Toon also decided to 'borrow' Peach's ice cream cake. There were some balloons here and there and some remaining streamers from Halloween.

"Happy Birthday to you~" They all finished singing Arla a happy birthday and carefully blew away her candle with a fan. Charizard, Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Pikachu dug into the Pokepuffs while the others had the cake.

"I don't know if you'll be able to hear us Arla, but we hope you do have a happy birthday when you do wake up," Toon said, laying the birthday card beside her.

"My guess is that she does wish to wake up, and become a Smasher," Red said, finishing his last slice of cake. "Do you think Arla will become a Smasher? She seems to have fighting material."

"I wish. MH likely said no as a 'safety precaution', and if you've been around as long as Pikachu and I have, one thing that you can easily know about him is that it's really hard to change his mind," Ness replied. Suddenly, Ness looked back at Arla and thought he sensed someone by her.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, thought I sensed something. Oh well." After the party, they began to clean up and leave. Akidan saw it all in her ghost form. That mini party lasted till dusk. Then, she felt something different. The best way to describe it is like a burst of energy.

"_That means…" _she realized as she went back inside.

A/N: Long chapter I know. Sorry, it took so long. With school starting back up, I'll have some trouble finding time for this story. Still not giving up! Also, does anyone know where that reference came from when Julia finished her joke at the Christmas party? Review if you know.


	20. Chapter 18: Reawaken and Farewell

**The Power of a Voice**

**Chapter 18: Reawaken and Farewell**

*Arla's Mind*

"**Where am I?" **Arla looked around and saw nothing but black. The place she was in was her dream world.

"**Hello? Somebody…Anybody?"** she yelled out in her mind, but nothing.

"_Anybody huh?"_ Arla snapped her head and saw Akidan floating there.

"**What the hell do you want now Umbra?"** Arla raised her battle stance.

"_Akidan, remember. Do you want to fight, or do you want me to answer your questions?" _Arla slowly dropped her stance but still remained on guard. "_Cool, so fire away."_

"**Fine. What happened after I passed out?"**

"_You stayed at the Smash Mansion's infirmary the entire time. You were stuck in a coma for about… 10 months."_

"**How did I survive that long without food or water!?"**

"_That's because I was here the entire time you were out. I kept your energy flowing through me. You're welcome."_

"**What has everyone else been doing?"**

"_The usual; tournament battles, kick bad-guy butt, etc. Now that you're finally up, you can regain conscience."_

"**What'll happen to you once I do wake up."**

"_Technically, I won't exist. My conscience that is, but my powers will be yours again."_ Akidan held out her hand, ready to merge with her. Arla was about to accept until she hesitated and sent a glare at her.

"**What was your point in doing any of this?" **Then, she began to rethink about the last thing Akidan said. "**And what do you mean by your powers will be mine again, like I had them before? Who am I to you anyway?!" **Akidan took a deep breath and began to explain.

"_You're my other half. More specifically, I'm you're missing fragment, trapped inside Subspace as a safety precaution from the 'all-powerful' hand. Why else would I look like you?"_

"**I wouldn't say you looked exactly like me. You had all those scratches and-"** Arla reexamined Akidan and didn't see a single injury at all. "**Ok, how did they disappear? Or are you that fast of a healer?"**

"_All the more proof that we were once one. Those injuries represented our pain, our hurt."_

"**I get your pain, but how is it also mine? I never felt any-" **Suddenly she remembered most of her life before becoming a Smasher. How many kids ignored her, how every day was the same cycle that she couldn't get out of, how everyone became nervous around her because of her looks, how lonely she felt. "**Oh."**

"_Exactly, my feeling of betrayal, your feeling of neglection. It resulted in my previous appearance. But, you were finally accepted and I now understand and look where it got us. Now we'll both get what we want if we merge." _Akidan held out her hand once more, but Arla still didn't.

"**Will they even be glad to see me? After what I've done?"**

"_You won't believe how much they wanted you to wake up." _Akidan conjured up bubbles around Arla, each with a different memory Akidan saw when she occasionally went outside of her body. The methods they tried to use, the holidays she had to miss, even on her birthday there were some Smashers who celebrated with her. Arla smiled, knowing that she wasn't forgotten by them, but she sighed after that.

"**It won't last long even when I'm awake. Master Hand is going to send me home once I wake up. I don't want to go back. There is so much fun and adventure and friends that understand me here. I don't want it to change."**

"_You know it couldn't last long regardless of what you do. Living life at all is better than staying in here for another year. Besides, life on Earth will brighten up once we combine, trust me._

"**Why should I? You tried to kill me before. You even said and I quote 'bring me her corpse if you have to'."**

"_When Smashers die, they turn into trophies. You were a Smasher so you could turn into one as well."_

"**Not at that time I couldn't."**

"_Wait, really?" _Arla nodded. "_Well, crap."_

"**What can you do that could help me?"**

"_Why don't you find out." _Arla went over her options. If she woke up, her life would go back to normal, but if she stayed in this state, she would be asleep forever. Either way, both lifestyles felt dull for her. But, she would rather live with that small chance of improbabilities happening than stay in an empty void where the unpredictable is guaranteed not to happen. She turned to Akidan and grabbed her hand.

"**Alright, I'm ready." **Both of them glowed brighter, Akidan beginning to fade away. "**Thanks for looking after me all this time."**

"_Just try to make sure you don't get yourself in a coma again. I might not be able to save your sorry ass again."_ Akidan said her final words with a smirk before completely disappearing.

*Outside World*

Arla slowly began to stir from her one year sleep. Her joints felt stiff as she got up, and she found herself in the infirmary, just like Akidan said she would be. She checked to make sure everything she had was in place. Her metal fans were in her pockets, but her sword was missing.

"**Where is it?! Where is it?!" **She panicked. Then, she saw the table beside her and saw her sword, a new pair of fingerless gloves, and a birthday card. Arla sighed in relief as she picked up the card and read it. Then, she looked at the clock and saw the time and date.

"**It has been an entire year," **Arla thought surprised. "**Happy sweet 16 for me then." **She saw the fingerless gloves and decided to put them on, replacing her old gloves. Finally, she saw her sword with a bow on top as well as a note. She equipped her sword behind her and read the note.

_**Merry Christmas! You better like the upgrades Fox, Samus, and I gave you. Also, you need to stop losing this thing.**_

_**-Falco**_

"**I even slept through Christmas." **She got out of bed, but she stumbled for her legs were unsteady since she hasn't walked for a while. Arla looked outside to find that it's almost sunrise, so she went to the roof and watched as it slowly rose up.

"**Maybe I should loosen up a bit." **Once the sun rose up entirely, she went down to the training area. After all, she did lose a whole year's worth of training.

Soon, it was already close to noon. All of the Smashers were already up, doing their normal routine. Diddy Kong was racing down the hall to the battle simulator, for he had a match against Ike, Lucario, and Falcon in five minutes. As he ran on all fours, he took a quick look through the infirmary's open door when he rushed by it. Suddenly, he skidded to a stop and went back to see that Arla was missing from her bed. He looked left and right but found no trace of her. Diddy began to panic and ran out quickly to his other three combatants for their help.

"There you are Diddy," Lucario said as he saw the monkey ran up to them. "We thought we might have to cancel- hey what gives?!" He was suddenly grabbed by the arm and was pulled by Diddy somewhere.

"Something happen?" Ike said to Falcon as they both followed them as well. All four of them arrived at the infirmary. Diddy let go of Lucario's arm and jumped up and down frantically, pointing at the bed where Arla laid.

"Where is she?" Falcon asked. Lucario used his aura again and found her in the training area.

"Follow me." Lucario led them to where Arla was and found her training with the sandbag. She jabbing and kicking and slicing with her sword. Then, they notice something new with her sword. Her blade's outer rim glowed cyan, and she hit the sandbag, damaging it harder than usual. Then, she threw her sword like a boomerang, impacting the sandbag with full force and sending it crashing into the wall. Arla held out her hand, making the light blue linings on her gloves glow dimly. Her sword disappeared from the sandbag and teleported straight into her palm. She sheathed the blade and smirked.

"**Aww yeah, I still got it."** She stretched her arms and relaxed her muscles. Arla jumped a bit when she heard applause. She sharply turned around and saw Lucario, Ike, Falcon, and Diddy standing there. She waved hello.

"So that's what Falco meant when he said upgrades." Lucario realized from the conversation he had with the ace-pilot. Arla was about to explain how she figured it out with her mini keyboard, but she looked down at her wrist to find it missing. She sighed and just nodded.

"Good to see you up and kicking again," Ike smiled as he gave her a hard pat on the back. Arla took a few steps forward to regain balance. Then, she gave a high five to Falcon, and Diddy ran up and hugged her leg, showing that he was glad to have her back. She was a bit taken aback.

"Ok, personal bubble here please," Arla said. Everyone froze after that, staring at the assassin-ninja with wide eyes. Arla clasped her hands over mouth in shock as well.

"YOU CAN TALK?!" the Smasher yelled.

"I can talk," she said quietly in disbelief.

"Is this likely Akidan's doing?" Falcon asked. "What happened to her anyway?" Arla looked down in realization but was still overwhelmed with surprise.

"She disappeared. And now a part of me, for good."

"Oo-oo ook! (Come on, let's tell everyone the news!)" Diddy cheered as he grabbed Arla's hand and went to find the other Smashers. The other three followed. They couldn't wait to see the Smashers' reactions. This ought to be hilarious. About all of the Smashers were eating lunch in the cafeteria while some were in the middle of a tourney match in the battle simulator.

"I swear those C4s shouldn't have done that much damage!" Bowser complained after he and Snake entered the lunch after their match, which Snake was victorious. The mercenary shrugged it off.

"I would say I just his a vital spot. I got skills," Snake retorted.

"You saying you got skills from explosions is like saying Peach is untouchable with that Toad she pulls out." That comment resulted in a spoon hitting his head.

"I heard that!" the princess exclaimed. Everyone had a normal conversation until Olimar, Jigglypuff, and ROB showed up.

"Has anyone seen Falcon, Diddy, Ike, or Lucario?" Olimar asked. "We were supposed to have a match after them, but they never started. It's not like Lucario or Ike at least to miss a match."

"I saw Falcon. He was determined to be the first one to make it there. I wonder what happened," Falco replied. As on cue, the four Smashers who were late rushed in. Diddy began jumping up and down with excitement, prepared to pretty much scream out the news.

"Jig Jiggle Puff (There you are. You guys are 15 minutes late from your next match.)"

"We'll cancel that soon. Anyways, you won't believe what happened," Falcon said.

"Not interested. Now shut up, I want to eat in peace," Wolf growled as he was about to unwrap his granola bar. Suddenly, something shiny and metal passed over his head swiftly, taking a few pieces of fur in the process. It came back around and knocked out his snack up into the air, and a fingerless gloved hand caught it and ate it instead. Everyone stared at the fighter in total shock. Arla took one last bite before looking back at them in a calm manner.

"At least one hello would've been nice," Arla commented. Everyone but the four Smashers who came in were staring wide-eyed that she was no longer mute. Falcon snuck out his phone behind him and took a picture of everyone in their frozen state. Diddy quietly chuckled while Lucario and Ike rolled their eyes. After that, they bombarded her with questions.

"Are you alright?"

"Why were you knocked out for so long?"

"What happened to Akidan?"

"Were you able to talk the whole time?"

"How did you survive without eating or drinking?"

"Did something cause you to wake up?"

"Woah! Woah! People, calm down. I'll try to explain everything to the best of my ability." Arla began explaining what happened to all the villains, and she told them about her connection to Akidan and confirmed that she is with her now. "…it was when Diddy tackled me into a hug that I accidentally blurted out some comment which made me realize I could talk. Now, here we are."

"So, that's it, right? No more Tabuu lingering in you, and no more Subspace," Samus reiterated.

"Pretty much. Things can go back to…normal."

"If that's so, then you can finally enter the tournament. I've been itching for a match with you," Pit said.

"We all would, but I believe Arla still needs to sharpen her skills again to be back into fighting shape. She has been in slumber for almost a year," Zelda recommended.

"Already did that all morning, and with the new upgrades to my inventory, I think I'm still able to catch up. Thanks for that by the way," Arla said to Fox, Falco, and Samus. The three of them nodded.

"Let's check." Wolf shot his blaster at her, but she brought out her fan and deflected it towards the wall doing minimal damage. "Yeah, she's fine."

"Well, in that case, let's get brawling."

"That won't be possible." MH floated in, remaining calm about the whole situation. Arla sighed in depression, knowing what's about to happen next. "I believe you and Julia already talked about this."

"Only the possibilities. But, judging from your…stance, I guess I have my answer. I'll start packing." Arla walked out with her head facing the ground.

"What does she mean?" Lucas asked, everyone turning to MH now.

"Now that the threat is gone, she has to return to her homeworld in order for our universe to remain unharmed by any further outside evil."

"Basically, it's another long-term precaution you're making?" Peach clarified.

"You could say that."

"Isn't that the same type of precaution that started the Subspace Reign in the first place?" Sonic realized.

"Perhaps, but Arla understood the consequences already, and she knew this had to happen. Apologies if you were all looking forward to having her into the tournament, but it must be done. She will go back to living her life on Reality Earth."

"What about her life here? She wants to be a part of this tournament, but you're letting your paranoia cloud your mind," Lucario said with a growl.

"Yeah, it wouldn't hurt to have one more Smasher here, and we'll be ready if things go down again," Toon added.

"Well, her home is in a completely different universe from ours. Having a permanent link to hers for too long will lead to devastating effects."

"It's been almost a year and nothing 'devastating' happened yet," Popo pouted.

"True, but I will not test its limits any further. I'm done talking about this!" MH rushed out of the room. They knew how stubborn MH is when it comes to any final decisions.

Arla had a medium-sized backpack under her bed in her dorm. She didn't bring much to the Smash World, but she had a few extra clothes given to her from Peach and Zelda. She zipped up the bag and threw it on her shoulders. Then, she took out her metal fans and saw one last look at her reflection in them before laying them down on the bed as well as her grappling hook. Since those weapons were still MH's property, she had to leave them behind, but she was glad that she still originally had the sword. Then, there was a knock at the door, and she opened it up to see Zelda, Peach, Samus, Sonic, Mario, Lucario, and Fox, all the Smashers she made friends with the most.

"Hello, Arla. We wanted to give this on Christmas, but we thought it would be better to give it to you personally." Zelda pulled out the Smash Ball-shaped charm they made for her to match the other charms. Arla held it up to the light and smiled at the results. She saw everyone else getting their charms out. "It's just like the ones you gave us. Thank you for your gifts."

"Glad you like them." Arla looked at the corner of it and saw her unique symbol. "Why did you pick my symbol to be a rose?"

"It was the same symbol as the one on your scabbard," Fox answered. She put her sheathed sword in front of her and compared the rose on her scabbard to her charm, looking just about the same.

"Thank you." She put the charm in the outside pocket of her backpack where it wouldn't get crushed. Everyone saw her bag, realizing that she was ready to go.

"Sorry, we couldn't convince Master Hand to let you stay. You know how stubborn he is," Peach said as she gave Arla a light hug.

"It's fine this was bound to happen."

"You're not at all angry with his decision?" Mario asked.

"I am glum, knowing that there's a chance I may never see you guys again, but we might meet again. I agreed to these terms, plain and simple. I know what might happen if I don't return back home, so this course of action is logical."

"Don't you want to stay?"

"Of course I do, but I can't."

"Ok, assume that you didn't know about the stakes, and he still made the same decision and you didn't question it. Would you still be upset?" Sonic wondered.

"A bit, but he has the right to do so."

"You need to stop following others' decisions. Don't forget, you can finally tell him how you feel about this now," Samus said.

"Sorry, habit. But, I didn't forget, and I'm sure he already knew that I wanted to stay. But, look at this from a different angle. If he hadn't done what he did 15 years ago, I wouldn't have met any of you. Remember, this whole incident wasn't a coincidence." Everyone's eyes widen in realization. "That's why I'm willing to accept this decision. No matter what, I'll have to live life on Earth, but I'd rather have met you guys for a short time than not at all. After all, another precaution could lead up to another team up with you guys."

"Whatever happens, we'll be here. Count on it," Lucario said in confidence as he and Arla hi-fived each other. Soon, they all made their way to the front yard where the portal was open and Julia was waiting for her as well as the rest of the Smashers.

"Alright Arla, you ready to go? Conscience cleared and fine?" Julia asked as she gripped Arla's shoulders.

"…Yeah… I'm ready…" Julia widened her eyes but shook it off.

"Wow, you weren't kidding. She can talk."

"Told ya," Link said.

"Ok, let's rock this joint." The two ladies were about to jump through, but the giant hand stopped them. "_What now?"_

"Ahem. You forgot to give me back something of mine." He held out his hand, and Julia knew what it was.

"Oh yeah, this. Whoops, I got too comfortable with this thing on." She tossed the Smash Bracelet to him. "You remember our deal. Tell me what you are about to do with that thing." Without batting an eye or another word, MH threw the bracelet up and blasted it into pieces.

"You mean you destroyed the one thing we've been fighting for this whole time?!" Dedede yelled out in anger, annoyed that he had to fight for nothing.

"Yes, I realized that we don't need it at all. You always adapted to any situation thrown at you. Also, this was-"

"A precaution," everyone finished in unison.

"Couldn't you have done it after we went through the portal." MH saw that the previous portal now closed.

"Aw crap."

"Don't worry, I know what to do." Arla cupped her hands together and created a small orb in her hands. Then, the energy grew and materialized into a light blue portal.

"How did you know you could do that?" Marth questioned, surprised.

"Remember, Akidan was once a part of me, and she had the power to travel between Subspace and the Smash World. Now that we are one, I have her power now." Arla glanced at MH. "Although, me using this power was what MH was hoping I wouldn't do, so I'll make a promise. I promise I won't use my powers at all once I return home so that the balance will remain between our universes." MH floated in silence and nodded. "It was a pleasure meeting everyone! Thanks for being my friends." With that, Arla jumped through her portal. Julia turned to MH.

"It's not too late to take that leap." Julia gave everyone a peace sign and jumped into the portal backward, everyone waving goodbye in their own manner.

*Reality Earth*

Arla and Julia came out, and the portal closed. They looked around to see that they were at their house's front doorstep.

"That went well," Julia stated.

"Yeah, mom and dad will be in for a surprise," Arla said, ready to confront her parents about the whole ordeal.

"You think you can make it through life this time after all that?"

"Of course!" Arla exclaimed with confidence, not a well-known trait she was known for.

"(Yawn) Well, I'm in the mood to take a nap. I stayed up late again. Laters." Julia left into their home, her arms resting behind her head. Arla silently chuckled at Julia's attitude. She raised her charm again into the air, admiring it as a reminder of what the Smashers helped her through.

"It's time for me to speak up."

_**Fin**_

A/N: NOT! This isn't over yet! One more chapter. Please review!


	21. Epilogue

A/N: There will be no Smash 4 characters in this story. Again, I don't want to add too many characters. You'll see what I mean. This will be short. Enjoy.

**The Power of a Voice**

**Epilogue**

*Smash World*

It's been about three years since the Subspace Reign. Everything has been going smoothly in the Smash Realm. Master Hand is currently in his office once again setting up another tournament for the Brawl Era. But as he was recreating the roster, something continually played at the back of his mind.

"_It's not too late to take that leap," Julia said._

"_I can't believe I'm doing this," _MH thought as he added 6 old members to the roster.

*Later*

After MH sent the invites, everyone gathered around the main area, greeting each other and preparing for battle. MH appeared and floated in front of them.

"Greetings everyone, welcome to another tournament in the Brawl Era, and I have a couple of surprises. We'll start out with the wackiest person's return." The ground began to shake as something emerged from the ground.

"He's back!?" the Original 12 exclaimed.

"I thought he was on vacation!" Mario said.

"Well, you better believe I'm back, and there's gonna be some twists and turns on my turf," said the brother of MH himself, Crazy Hand.

"Sadly, he is going to be staying for some time," MH said in a flat tone.

"Sadly?!"

"Aside from that, we have 6 veterans returning to the tournament. Come on out fellas." The floor opened up from the bottom and four figures are seen.

"Roy!" Marth, Mario, and Peach cheered as they hugged their old friend.

"Happy to be here again."

"Young Link!" Link said, hi-fiving his counterpart.

"Hey there." Young shook hands with Toon, meeting the other counterpart.

"Mewtwo, it's a pleasure." Lucario greeted Mewtwo.

"Lucario, how has Smash been for you?"

"Incredible, thank you for suggesting me." Mewtwo was the one who told MH that he should try to add Lucario into the roster.

"Pichu!" Pichu said cheerfully as he hugged Pikachu, Kirby, Yoshi, and Samus. He was close with most of the Originals.

"Also Mario, I plan on bringing back Dr. Mario." MH handed him his old doctor's uniform.

"Okie Dokie!" Mario said with excitement and a thumbs up.

"Hold on, you said 6 veterans, but we are the only ones from the Melee Era. Who's left?" Young asked.

"You'll find out after our exhibition match." MH turned on the battle simulator randomizer, and it landed on Link, Roy, Marth, and Ike.

"A four-way sword fight, ah good times," Marth commented. The entered the simulator and the stage was Norfair. It was the usual match between swordsmen. Roy challenged Marth while Link had Ike again.

"Time to get my mojo back!" Link said as he blocked Ragnell with his shield. Switching back to Roy and Marth, they were duking it out as evenly well.

"Just like back in Melee old friend," Marth said, pushing Roy back. Roy got back up and ignited his sword.

"Just don't disappoint," Roy smirked as they clashed swords. The whole battle had been lasting for a few minutes at a stalemate until a Smash Ball appeared. "So that's what a Smash Ball looks like." He stared at it amazed since Melee Tournaments didn't have Smash Balls back then.

They all looked at each other, their eyes basically saying 'I'm getting that' as they raced to get it. Roy slashed at Marth with the flames for extra damage. Link used his clawshot to grab Ike's ankles and trip him. Roy and Link outstretched their arms just inches away from the Smash Ball until a black blur came along and shattered it before they could. The person, who had black clothing and a hood over their face, skidded to a stop with the rainbow aura around them.

"It can't be!" Link, Marth, and Ike yelled in surprise. Roy just looked in confusion. They were so distracted by the extra player that they didn't pay attention to what the person did next.

"Multi Slash!" The hooded person unleashed multiple sword beams at different angles towards the four swordsmen. With no time to react, they were all hit into the blast zone by that barrage.

The winner is…

"Arla!?" The Brawl Smashers said in shock. All five of them exited the simulator.

"Multi Slash, that Final Smash has a nice ring to it." Arla stretched her muscles again as she skated over towards everyone, ignoring their reactions. "Hey, y'all."

"I thought MH said that you weren't allowed back!" Peach said as she and Zelda hugged her tightly.

"Can't… breath!"

"Sorry!" Both princesses quickly let go. Arla took a couple of deep breaths before she began to explain.

"As for what you said…"

*Earlier, Earth, Arla's POV*

Six months. It's been that long, and I can't believe I was able to move on from that. Julia moved away as well since she doesn't have to be my 'translator' anymore. I moved from Arizona to a nice comfortable apartment in New York. I wanted to be more independent, to choose without others doing it for me without my consent. Besides, I've always wondered what urban life was like, and big residences were never my thing.

I was walking back to my apartment. Just another stroll around the streets at night. I walked inside, and the first thing I saw was a bright blue envelope on my bed. Usually, all my mail came in the usual mailbox, unless someone broke in, but there was no sign of scratches or breaking in at all on my door's lock. Flipping the envelope over, I looked at the seal, and I saw the symbol I never thought I would see again other than on screen.

The symbol of the Smash Brothers.

"**Oh geez!" **I read the invitation over and over, hoping that I wasn't dreaming. I grabbed a chest under my bed and opened it to find all my equipment from the Brawl Tourney days, my sword, my old outfit, I even built my own grapple similar to the one I once had, and for a bonus, I adjusted my old pair of shoes to have a rollerblade function since I took on rollerblading as a hobby. Once I suited up, I read the instructions on the bottom, and I followed without another second of thinking it over.

"Arla Nadika joins the brawl!" I yelled as to what the letter said to do. And like that, I disappeared.

*Present, Smash World, 3rd Person POV*

"…but I should've made my own portal, the one I had to use was too intense for me," Arla finished.

"Pi Pichu Pichu (So, is anyone gonna introduce us…)" Pichu asked, still confused, but got elbowed by Young Link to shut up and let them say hi.

"Melee veterans, this is Arla Nadika, a friend who helped us fight Subspace," Fox said.

"Are we going to have another long explanation of what happened that led to your meeting with her?" Roy asked.

"There is no need." Mewtwo looked into Arla's mind and saw all the events she had with the Smashers and shared it with the veterans. After the telepathic link broke, they were all up to speed.

"You know, you could've at least asked to go into my personal thoughts," Arla said a bit annoyed that she keeps having her mind being read. Mewtwo shrugged it off but kept it noted.

"Arla Nadika, you are now an official Smasher." MH handed the 6 Smashers their own coms which serve as their badge of identity and as a way to communicate."

"I thought you said that Arla being here would lead to something catastrophic," Sonic reminded.

"Let's just say I'm willing to take the leap."

"All's well, it ends well."

"Then, let's get brawling, for real this time," Arla said as she raised her sword with determination.

"Yeah!"

_**[Insert Music: "Let's Just Live" by: Jeff Williams]**_

_**Ending Credits:**_

_**Smashers belong to Nintendo, Sega, & Konami**_

_**The Hands, Tabuu, Subspace Army belong to Nintendo**_

_**Arla Nadika, Julia (Senka) Nadika, Akidan (Umbra) belong to me**_

_**May Arla's future live on**_

_**Fin**_

A/N: Thank you to all my viewers that have been reading my first story. I know this felt like I rushed it too quickly. I partially did only because with school starting up, the stacks of homework will begin to pile up, so I have to end it now or I might've never been able to finish this. I know I say this a lot, but I honestly really hope you enjoyed this story. Please review.


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